


A Hit Witch's Helping Hand

by LittleMsM



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cursed objects, F/M, Friendship, Minor Character Death, Romance, Umbridge Bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-05 05:23:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3107711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMsM/pseuds/LittleMsM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Cassiopeia Black agreed to monitor the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, she never expected the madness she was roped into. A Dark Lord, returning to his old power. A brother, innocent in Askaban for twelve years. A lot of (crazy) Gryffindors (and Hogwarts' students in general) and - perhaps - true love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How one small decision can change a live

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and various publishers. I do not make any money with this story.

Far after midnight, the Ministry of Magic in London was dark and quiet. The usual hissing of the green flames of the floo network, the chatter of visitors and employees and the noise of memos, flying through the air, had quieted down hours ago.

In a small office on Level 2 however, there was still light. There were ten desks and various cabinets crammed into the room. Piles of parchment were stacked on every available surface.

At the desk furthest away from the door, sat a witch, sorting through the piles of paper in front of her at record speed. Sometimes, she stopped, crossing out sections of text, adding new sentences, or signing her name at the bottom.

Ever since Sirius Black had broken out of Askaban, almost two years ago, her life had become a massive headache, including sleep deprivation, lengthy stays at St. Mungo's and far too much paperwork.

A knock at the door had her look up.

 _Who in Merlin's name is still here?_ she thought confused. _It's almost two a.m.! No one's working at this hour._ Well, except for her, but that was a completely different matter, in her opinion.

Pulling out her wand, careful to keep it out of view, she called: "Enter!"

The door opened to reveal a dark skinned wizard, looking far too awake for this time of the day. The black haired witch sighed in relief, when she recognized him.

"Mr. Shacklebolt! What are you doing here, at this hour?" she asked him.

Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt eyed the small movement of her arm, as she stowed away her wand in its holster again. The feeling of the new red oak wand was still unfamiliar. Unfortunately, her first wand had been irreparably damaged three months ago, when she had been blasted through a wall.

"Jumpy, are we?" he questioned her.

"Occupational disease," the black haired witch answered with a shrug. "What can I do for you, this time? If you came to ask me about my brother again, the answer is no. No, I have neither seen nor heard from him. The answer is still the same as it was last week, the week before that - and the week before!"

The Auror laughed quietly: "Do not worry, Ms Black. I did not come to ask you about your brothers whereabouts. What gave you the idea that is what I wanted to talk about?"

Cassiopeia Black simply raised an eyebrow. Ever since Kingsley Shacklebolt had become responsible for the hunt for her brother, Sirius, he had been a pain in her backside, constantly questioning her about anything she might know about the escaped convict. Albeit, he was a lot nicer about it than the idiot Dawlish, who had been in charge before him.

She had not at all appreciated being woken up at four a.m.. Especially, since she had not managed to get to bed before two, thanks to the arrest of a dangerous criminal, that had gotten some of her colleagues hospitalized.

The questioning that followed had been lengthy, annoying and absolutely unproductive. Needless to say, her mood had not been great that day. Many Aurors had walked on eggshells around her for the following weeks, in fear of being snapped at - again.

What both, John Dawlish and Kingsley Shacklebolt, seemed to have forgotten was, that the last time she had spoken to her brother was, when she was four years old. He had then run away and stayed with James Potter, until he turned seventeen. His name had not been mentioned by their parents ever since. So how was it they thought, the first thing he did, after escaping, was to contact her? After almost twenty years of total silence?

Her parents had never gone to see their oldest son in Askaban and, after their death, Cassiopeia had not started visiting him, either. She had been focused on her career in Law Enforcement and visiting her convicted brother would not have been very conductive for that.

"Alright, maybe that was why I came here the last couple of times," Shacklebolt conceded. "But that's not why I am here today."

Cassiopeia looked at him inquiringly.

"And what is it you wanted to talk to me about, at two a.m.?" she asked. "Somehow, I get the feeling this isn't an invitation for lunch, or anything else harmless."

"You have heard about the Triwizard Tournament, at Hogwarts?" the Auror said, sitting down on an empty edge of her desk.

"Who hasn't? It's all this Skeeter woman writes about in the Daily Prophet. Horrible articles," the witch answered, shaking her head.

Those articles were disgusting and had nothing to do with reporting about the Triwizard Tournament. In her opinion, they were nothing but unproven gossip to satisfy the curiosity of dimwits and she had stopped reading after the second article was published. "It has taken the _Department of International Magical Cooperation_ and the _Department of Magical Sports and Games_ months to organize. I don't know what was worse, Bagman talking about the Quidditch World Cup Finale or the Triwizard Tournament. Good thing they are at Level 7 and not anywhere near us, or there might have been bodily harm."

Shacklebolt chuckled again: "I noticed that the people in your office are oversensitive at the moment. Just yesterday, I heard Jason Denbright tear stripes off Proudfoot, for some minor hiccup in a joint arrest."

Cassiopeia nodded, she had heard that particular ... conversation - through two closed office doors. Her sympathy for Auror Proudfoot was very limited, though. It should have been an easy arrests. Easy arrest did _not_ have hiccups, even minor ones.

"We are chronically overworked. What do you expect? After that chaos with those Death Eaters and the Dark Mark at the World Cup, sightings of supposed dark wizard have tripled. Most, who call are complete nutcases. The Magic Witch Watchers don't have enough personnel anymore, so they call us for the smallest things. We are a small department and, if we are stretched out so thinly, many of us have to take unnecessary risks, which leads to injuries, which leads to even less personnel. It's a vicious circle. Do you think I like doing paperwork at two a.m.?!"

"Perhaps I shouldn't ask you, if you have so much work anyway. Maybe - "

"Just spit it out," Cassiopeia interrupted him, trying in vain to suppress a yawn. He was here now anyway, so she might as well listen to what he wanted to say.

"The Third Task is in two days. We still need another witch or wizard from _DMLE_ to supervise, just in case anything happens. You know, if one of the creatures manages to escape or such."

Cassiopeia frowned: "Isn't that a job for _Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_?"

"We've already got some people from there. No, the Minister will attend and probably some international guests as well. They want someone sitting in the crowd who is able to defend everyone around. You surely know what happened 1792. We don't want any dead people this time around. Can you imagine the headline? 'Dumbledore killed by rampaging sphinx - Minister of Magic watching'. That would be a disaster. Anyway, people always feel safer with someone from _DMLE_ around."

" - Aurors?" Cassiopeia suggested.

"We've got some Aurors there, as well, especially around the Minister, but Scrimgeour wants someone else... You know how he is, almost as bad as Mad-Eye. With Crouch missing, all of the pressure is on him - even though our office is technically not even involved," the Auror trailed off. "Scrimgeour already talked to your boss and he said it's ok - as long as you want to do it. Just, will you do it or not?"

The witch stroked her quill absentmindedly.

"Sit in the crowd, watch the Task, watch for potential dangers." That didn't sound too taxing and it would give her a reason to take a break from paperwork, if only for a day. In fact, for someone who worked in her job, it sounded quite relaxing. It might not be very comradely of her but, hey, was there anyone else in the office, doing paperwork at this hour? Especially an injured colleagues paperwork? Besides, if her boss said she could go... "Count me in."

"You'll do it?" the wizard asked, looking a bit astonished.

"That's what I just said, isn't it? Why couldn't you actually ask me that at a reasonable hour - or sent a memo?"

"I had to talk to some Ministry official in Australia, apparently, someone thought they had seen your brother," he shook his head. Clearly it had been false alarm - again. "Thanks to the time difference, I had to be here at this hour. When I saw light in here, I thought I ought to check. Scrimgeour would have talked to you tomorrow, but now I can tell him you will come."

"When and where do we meet?"

"Well, the others and I meet at ten thirty, for a debriefing, and floo in right after that. You don't need to be there for that, since you're not really involved in any of that. We'll meet you in the Entrance Hall, at half past eleven?"

"I'll be there," Cassiopeia told him and made a shooing motion with her hand. "And now get out. I have a meeting at nine and I would like to get some sleep before that _and_ the paperwork has to be finished until then."


	2. Final preparations for the Third Task

The day of the Third Task found an exhausted Cassiopeia Black, waiting in the Entrance Hall for the arrival of the other Ministry employees. Paperwork had kept her up half of the night, again, and she was currently functioning solely on Pepper Up Potion. Maybe she should take the day off tomorrow and simply sleep for twenty-four hours.

The witch stood next to the hour glasses and watched the students passing by. Thinking back to her time as a student at Hogwarts, she could hardly believe it had already been five years, since she last set a foot into the castle.

It was almost time for lunch, so there where many students coming through the Entrance Hall and heading for the Great Hall. Some of them noticed the witch, leaning against the wall, and gave her strange looks, probably wondering what she was doing there. Whilst still at Hogwarts, she might have done the same. Who in their right mind wore a black traveling cloak in summer?

She had been running a bit late, when she had come to Hogsmeade earlier. Since she hated using the floo connection, apparating to Hogsmeade was the only way to get to the castle and the walk took a good couple of minutes. In order to arrive on time, she did not have the chance to go back home and change out of her work uniform. The silver-grey robes and the sturdy black boots were easily recognizable and she did not want to scare the spectators. The shiny _DMLE_ badge on her traveling cloak should make her official enough, without causing unnecessary fear. After all, she or her colleagues usually only showed up in very dangerous situations.

"Ms Black! How nice to see you, again."

A squeaky voice jostled her out of her thoughts. Looking down, she found a beaming Professor Flitwick in front of her.

"Good morning, Professor Flitwick," she greeted politely. Charms had been one of her favorite subjects, she had even gotten an O for her N.E.W.T.s. Well, technically she had gotten seven Os and two Es on her N.E.W.T.s in total, so Charms wasn't that special - but she had liked it anyway.

"Are you here to watch the Third Task?" the tiny being asked her. "I am sure it will be very interesting. If you consider how good Harry Potter has been until now, despite his disadvantages, I am sure he will give us quite the show. And, of course, you can't neglect the other Champions, very talented, all three of them. I can't wait to see who will be the winner, tonight."

The witch smiled indulgently at the part-goblin. Whenever he was particularly excited, his voice became so high pitched, it gave her a headache. Still, she somehow like him. His lessons had never been boring and the students could always question him on any charm they had read about or seen.

"I'm sure the Task will be exciting but, unfortunately, I am not here for watching it, at least not solely. I'm here on Ministry business."

"Ministry business? Don't you work for the _Department of Magical Law Enforcement_? I thought the Tournament was the _Department of International Magical Cooperation_ and the _Department of Magical Sports and Games'_ responsibility."

"I do indeed work for the _DMLE_. It's just an additional security measure, you know, with the Minister around. Nothing to worry about. I am actually looking forward to a day without anything dangerous happening to me," Cassiopeia told her former Professor with a smile. "Ah, if you'd excuse me. The rest of the team has arrived."

Together with Kingsley Shacklebolt and the Head of the Auror Office Rufus Scrimgeour, Nymphadora Tonks, her cousin Andromeda's daughter, John Dawlish and two wizards she didn't know had arrived. They stuck out of the crowd, especially Tonks hair - since when did she favor purple? - was easily spotted among the students. Cassiopeia went over to them.

"Mr. Scrimgeour, Mr. Shacklebolt," she greeted. Dawlish only got a cold nod, she was still cross with him. " _Nymphadora_ , it's been a while."

" _Don't_ call me Nymphadora," the witch growled, her purple hair turning dark red. Cassiopeia deliberately ignored her comment and introduced herself to the other two wizards.

Annoying Andromeda's daughter with her name had been a favorite pastime of hers during their days at Hogwarts. The reactions of the Metamorphmagus had been very entertaining.

"The Minister won't arrive until dinner, so we still have time. Professor Dumbledore was so kind to invite us for lunch," Kingsley Shacklebolt told her. "We will have a shrot look at the maze after that, to check security and prepare everything for the Minister's arrival."

"Very well."

Sitting at the High Table, with all of the Professors and the Headmasters of the other schools, instead of her old House Table felt strange. It gave Cassiopeia a completely different view of the Great Hall.

The Professors used the opportunity to hear about the lives of their former students. Somewhere to her right side, Nymphadora was in a deep conversation with the former Head of her House, Professor Sprout. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Rufus Scrimgeour were talking to Professor McGonagall and the two wizards from _Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_ were talkingto Hagrid. Cassiopeia sighed. She was not to keen on talking to her former Head of House. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be either. A familiar _clonk_ had her look up.

"Alastor!" she exclaimed, surprised. Of course, she had known that Dumbledore had convinced him to teach Defense against the Dark Arts this year, but that, in her mind, somehow hadn't equaled with meeting the former Auror again. Nymphadora had noticed the arrival of her former mentor, as well, and got up to greet him. In her excitement, she managed to knock over Professor Sprouts drink. Thanks to her quick reflexes - a must have in her job - and somewhat expecting an accident caused by her cousin, Cassiopeia managed to catch it before it could spill.

"I'm so sorry," Nymphadora apologized, looking ashamed.

"Not like we weren't expecting it, Ms Tonks," Professor Sprout said with a fond smile. In her school days, the now Auror had had more than one unfortunate mishap. Cassiopeia was just happy, that she had been one year above the accident prone witch.

Alastor Moody was watching the Metamorphmagus with his good eye, while his magical eye was looking through his head. Somehow, Cassiopeia got the feeling, it was trained on her but she couldn't for the life of her figure out, why the Ex-Auror would be suspicious of her. They hadn't seen each other in a year and she couldn't remember doing anything reckless - well, too reckless anyway but that was her job.

Lunch went on with a lot of talking and, fortunately, no more accidents. They had all politely greeted Professor Dumbledore, Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff. Cassiopeia's eyes narrowed, when she saw the former Death Eater. Suddenly, Dumbledore's decision to hire Moody made a lot more sense. Having the Dark Lord's Ex-Followers around Harry Potter might be a danger to the boy's life. Who would be a better protection than the man, that brought dozens of dark wizards into Askaban?

When Cassiopeia inspected the House Tables again, she noticed the parents of the Champions sitting with them. Curious, as to who was here for Harry Potter, she checked Gryffindor table. She had only heard rumors of him being Muggle raised from her cousin Narcissa and couldn't help being a bit nosy. Looking for adults at the table she was confused, when she was met with the sight of the Weasley matriarch and ... was that Bill Weasley? The witch blinked and looked again. He sure had grown out his hair, it was almost as long as hers - and her hair reached down to her waist.

"Why is Mrs. Weasley here?" she questioned Professor McGonagall, who sat two seats to her left.

"Well, the Weasleys are Harry's family. Or, as close to family as he can get. The Muggle relatives he is staying with are not too fond of magic," the Head of Gryffindor explained.

Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for more information.

"Ron, the youngest of the Weasley sons, is Harry's best friend, along with Ms Hermione Granger, who is quite the brightest student we have had at Hogwarts in some time. Anyway, as soon as Molly Weasley found out about Harry's family, she practically adopted him into hers," Professor McGonagall continued explaining.

Cassiopeia made a noncommittal sound still watching the Weasleys. She had only seen Mrs. Weasley once, during a Quidditch game. She had been a bit preoccupied with the Quaffle and scoring goals, to get a good look, but the woman was quite recognizable.

"I was quite surprised to see Bill coming as well. You remember Bill Weasley? He was Head Boy in your sixth year?" McGonagall said.

Cassiopeia nodded: "I remember, I was a Prefect back then. I can recall quite vividly the Prefects Meeting in the Hogwarts Express that year. Some idiot had used dung bombs in the corridor..."

"Oh yes. I remember giving out a lot of detentions for that. Anyway, as I was saying, I am surprised to see him here. He actually works for Gringotts, as a Curse Breaker in Egypt."

"Curse Breaker? Perhaps I should have him have a look at my parents house. I haven't set a foot in there since my mother died because of all of the cursed objects in there...," Cassiopeia mused.

The Deputy Headmistress looked at her questioningly: "I would expect you know far more about dark spells and curses than anyone else."

"On how to use them or deflect them, sure, but lifting them has - unfortunately - not been on my curriculum. Especially if they are a couple of centuries old. Many of them get stronger as the time passes. I risk my life every day at work, there is no need to do so at home as well. Besides, I have my own flat, so there is no need to use the house."

Once they had finished eating, Rufus Scrimgeour shooed them all outside, to check security before the Minister's arrival.

When Cassiopeia saw what they had done to the Quidditch pitch, she scowled.

"Couldn't they have picked a different spot to grow the maze?" she grumbled. "There is more than enough space on the grounds. Why the Quidditch pitch?"

"It's already got seats?" Kingsley Shacklebolt answered hesitantly.

"Seats? Seats are transfigured within one day - even as many as they need here. That can't be the reason. No Tournament should prevent the students from playing Quidditch!"

"Perhaps Dumbledore wants to make sure all of the Hogwarts students support their Champion, or Champions, in this case. Quidditch is just a great way to intensify house rivalries," the wizard answered.

Scrimgeour called them to the entrance of the maze: "Everyone here? Good. Mad-Eye is currently bringing the Cup into the maze. He will also support us outside, once the Task begun. Mr. Shacklebolt and, Ms Black, if you would be so kind to help us out? One of the Aurors got the dragon pox, so he can't be here today. We could use your help in preparing for the Minister's arrival."

The witch shrugged: "I don't have anything to do, right now. Fire away."

"Good, you two check the Minister's Box. We need to be sure it is safe. The rest of you, I want to go around the maze, to make sure the spells on the outer part of the hedge are in working order."

"Let's go then," Kingsley Shacklebolt said to Cassiopeia and the two of them made their way up to the Box.

It took them over an hour to make sure the Box was free of any curses, cursed objects or other potential dangers. This was not part of what Cassiopeia did on her job, but growing up in the Black family had left her with a good sense for, if something was dangerous. Being almost strangled by old robes simply for opening a closet made one very careful, when dealing with even the most mundane objects.

Cassiopeia had to admit, the view from the Box, usually used by the Professors during Quidditch games, was quite spectacular. It was the first time she truly got a feeling of how big the maze was.

"Do they really expect the Champions to find their way into the middle?" she wondered out loud. One could just hope they all had an excellent sense of orientation.

When they came back down on the lawn in front of the maze, a small group of witches and wizards was already waiting for them.

"Box is clear," Shacklebolt told his boss.

"Excellent. The Minister is due to arrive in twenty minutes and I've sent Dawlish to pick him and the other Aurors up. So we're clear on that part, as well. That only leaves us with - oh no. Why _now_?" the Head of the Auror Office pinched the bridge of his nose. "Couldn't he have arrived when we are finished?"

Cassiopeia followed his line of sight and saw, what could only be identified as overgrown wasp. Ludo Bagman had obviously chosen his old Quidditch uniform for today. If she had to guess, Cassiopeia would say it was two sizes too small - at least.

"Mr. Bagman, how nice of you to join us," Scrimgeour greeted, in a voice that indicated anything but pleasure. Bagman completely missed the undertone and happily started babbling about the Tournament.

"Mr. Scrimgeour? The only thing I am required to do is still, sitting in the crowd and keep my eyes open, right?" Cassiopeia asked quickly, unwilling to listen to Bagman's chatter longer than necessary.

"Yes. I want someone to keep an eye on the crowd. Just in case. We'll handle the Minister, the Headmasters and the safety of the Champions. Should we need an extra wand, we'll call you."

"Good. Do you mind if I go have a look around, to find myself a nice spot?"

"Mind? No," the Head of the Auror Office answered. Then he added more quietly: "But I do so envy you, for being able to walk away. My office had nothing to do with the Tournament, but without Crouch... His assistant is simply too young for that kind of responsibility and I, I have to do everything!"

"Have fun with Bagman," Cassiopeia told him with s smirk.

Shooting her a dirty look and grumbling to himself, Scrimgeour went back to Bagman, to discuss last minute details. It was still some hours before the beginning of the Third Task.

Cassiopeia chose to spent the time left surveying her surroundings for a bit, looking for vantage points. She needed a spot that offered an excellent view of her surroundings - just in case some idiot really decided to cause trouble.


	3. Not so quiet as expected

After dinner, everybody was streaming outside, to get a good seat. The sky was already getting darker, Cassiopeia noticed, as she surveyed the crowd. The red hair of the Weasley family was easy to spot and she decided to sit near Harry Potter's friends and family. They had chosen seats quite close to a spot she had deemed a good vantage point and the conversation with Professor McGonagall had intrigued her. She wanted to know more and what was a better place to start, than his friends?

 _Excellent_ , she thought happily, as she sat down next to Bill quietly. None of the redheads noticed her arrival.

Some more wizards, who appeared to be Potter's age came up to them and studied her curiously, before sitting down.

"I didn't know your family was coming, Ron," the boy to her right said.

"I didn't either," 'Ron' answered. "Neville, Seamus, Dean, my mother and my eldest brother Bill."

"And who is the young lady?" another one of the three boys asked. 'Ron' leaned forward and gave Cassiopeia a confused look.

"Ehm...," he said.

Bill took a look to his right and furrowed his eyebrows: "Cassiopeia?"

"The one and - by now - only," she answered with a chuckle. The great-aunt she was named after, had died two years ago.

"What are you doing here?"

"Working. But, perhaps, you should introduce me first? I think those children are still waiting for an answer."

Bill flushed a little. Cassiopeia had always found the fact, that he and his siblings turned red so easily quite amusing. Especially, since the coloring didn't go with their hair at all.

"Right, everybody, this is Cassiopeia Black, Slytherin Head Girl, Chaser and one year below me."

The Gryffindors around her eyed her suspiciously.

"Wonderful, William. Giving away all of my finer qualities at once. What are they supposed to think of me now?"

The red head gave her a lopsided smile: "It's better to warn them. Your lot can be quite sneaky."

"An important ability to have in my job," Cassiopeia pouted.

"Speaking about job. You said you're here for work. Don't you work for _DMLE_?"

The beginning of the Third Task interrupted their conversation for a while. Once the Champions had disappeared into the maze, the chatter in the crowd had picked up. There wasn't much to do, except to stare at a green hedge until someone won. You couldn't really see what was happening inside the maze. Cassiopeia wasn't sure why someone would think this could be an interesting Task for the spectators.

"Well?" Bill asked her again, trying to pick up their conversation.

"I do work for _DMLE._ Though, how do you know about that?"

"Dad also works on Level 2, albeit on the other side of the corridor. But why would someone from _DMLE_ be here? Should I be concerned?" he asked, eying his little sister next to their mother worriedly.

"There are a couple of Aurors here. Mostly for the Minister. I'm just additional security, thanks to a paranoid Scrimgeour. Nothing will happen, and if it does, we can handle it. It's our job, after all," Cassiopeia answered with a shrug. She was still not sure if there truly was any reason for her to be here except for Scrimgeour's growing paranoia. If he continued like that, he would be worse than Alastor Moody, soon. But, considering the events of the last months, some extra security probably couldn't hurt.

"You work at the _DMLE_?" a brown haired witch next to 'Ron' asked. "I'm Hermione Granger by the way."

"Nice to meet you. There was a famous potioneer with that name, Hector Dagworth-Granger. Are you related to him?"

"I don't think so, I'm Muggle-born," the young witch answered.

Cassiopeia remembered Professor McGonagall talking about Hermione Granger as the brightest student they had. _Must be quite the bookworm, if she's Muggle-born_ , she thought.

"Well then, Ms Granger, yes, I do work for _DMLE_."

"Do you have anything to do with house-elf welfare?"

"Hermione, not again," Ron groaned. "Can't you leave people alone with your _SPEW_ "?

"House-elf welfare? I don't think there is such a thing as house-elf welfare," Cassiopeia answered, slowly. "If there was, it would probably belong to _Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_. And what in Merlin's name is _SPEW_?"

" _Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare_ ," Hermione explained. "I think, it is unacceptable to have house-elves work like slaves for us, so I founded _SPEW_. They need to have rights. They need a day of and payment..."

"Payment?! For a house-elf? Please don't _ever_ suggest that to them. They would be deadly insulted. They don't want to be paid. They like working for their masters."

Ron interrupted her: "See, Hermione! I've been telling you that the whole time."

Hermione hmpfed.

"If you work for _DMLE_ , are you an Auror?" Ron questioned Cassiopeia eagerly. His expression clearly told her he dreamed of being one, after he finished school.

"Auror? No, thanks. Far too boring," she answered. "No risk, no fun."

Bill snorted next to her.

"You shut up, William. You're a Curse Breaker, you should be careful with what you say."

The redheaded twins next to Mrs. Weasley snickered. Cassiopeia shut them up with a glare that would have made Severus Snape proud.

"I was just going to mention that that is decidedly Gryffindor of you. Besides, how do you know I'm a Curse Breaker?" Bill echoed her former question.

Completely ignoring him, the witch went on with her explanation: "I am a Hit Witch."

"Really? A Hit Witch?" one of the Gryffindors to her right asked. "I've heard it's really hard to be accepted. You need to be really good for your N.E.W.T.s and have to pass some tests. And once you're in, you even get your own bed at St. Mungo's!"

"Unfortunately, that is true. I never understood why people think that fact is so amazing. Most of us spent as much time inside St. Mungo's as outside," Cassiopeia answered with a shrug. "Well, arresting dangerous criminals, especially dark witches and wizards, is risky. We take over, if the Magic Witch Watchers or Aurors think it's too dangerous."

"But how many O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s do you need?"

Cassiopeia shrugged: " Eleven O.W.L.s and nine N.E.W.T.s, seven of them with an O were enough. Being quite a decent flyer also helped."

"Nine N.E.W.T.s ?" Bill asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I did drop Divination and History after the O.W.L.s. They were far to useless to waste time on. I never took Muggle Studies, anyway. I mean, could you imagine? Me in Muggle Studies? My ancestors would roll in their graves. Pity they didn't offer Alchemy in our year."

The conversation died for a few minutes.

"Bill said your name was Black," Hermione said suddenly. "Are you related to Sirius Black?"

"Obviously. There is only one pure-blood family with the name Black. Sirius is my eldest brother."

"Your eldest brother? So you have more?" the young Weasley girl asked curiously. "I didn't know Sirius Black had any siblings. The press never wrote anything about that."

"Ginny!" Bill chastised her. They may not have been friends at Hogwarts, but Cassiopeia had liked Charlie well enough. First they had only talked about Quidditch, then also about other things. They had developed a strange kind of friendship during the witch's sixth year at Hogwarts. Charlie on the other hand had often spoken to his older brother about the Black girl. That was why Bill knew her other brother was a sore subject, or well, any of her brothers.

Cassiopeia waved him off. The girl couldn't have known and by now, almost fifteen years had passed.

"I had another brother," she explained quietly. "Regulus. He died during the Dark Lords reign. Probably killed by a Death Eater. They never did find his body, so we do not know for sure."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, looking down at her lap.

"It was a long time ago. But, on to happier subjects. You're all friends with Harry? Then you can surely explain to me what I missed during the first two Tasks. I read the articles in the Daily Prophet but somehow, I am not quite satisfied with the reporting."

The children launched into vivid descriptions of the Tasks. Cassiopeia listened to them, while surveying their surroundings. Nothing had changed. The crowd was still chattering animatedly and there were no emergency sparks above the maze.

Comforted, she leaned back in her chair and marveled at how easy it seemed to get those kids to trust her - at least a bit. Shouldn't the fact that Sirius was her brother scare them off?

Bill was the only one that eyed her with a look that definitely said _What are you up to?_ Cassiopeia gave him her most innocent smile and he shook his head, laughing quietly.

After Rita Skeeters second article about the tournament, Cassiopeia had stopped reading them altogether, so a lot of the information she got from the Gryffindors, was news to her. She shook her head as to the Second Task. The Lake wasn't a place for children to play in. Since the windows of the Slytherin common room looked out directly into the Lake, she knew about a couple of creatures that lived down there and many of them should not be trifled with. Especially the merpeople.

Why in Merlin's name would someone revive the tradition of the Triwizard Tournament anyway? Hadn't enough students died?

When Ron Weasley mentioned Mr. Potter and Mr. Krum meeting Barty Crouch Sr., Cassiopeia looked at him surprised. She had not heard about him showing up at Hogwarts, after he had called in sick. Which was, now that she thought about it, quite strange. She had not pegged him for someone to stay at home because of an illness.

"And Mr. Potter was sure it was Barty Crouch Sr. they met?" she asked the boy.

"Yes of course. We met him at the World Cup Finale. Harry knows Crouch when he sees him," Ron insisted and Hermione nodded beside him.

"Curious. Why would he show up here, if he's ill? He could have simply sent an owl, if it was important," Cassiopeia wondered, as a murmur went through the crowd. Red sparks had appeared over the maze.

"It looks like one of our Champions got injured!" Ludo Bagman's magnified voice said. Everybody watched tensely, as two wizard flew over the maze to rescue the injured Champion.

A few minutes later they landed again, a girl with silver-blond hair between them. Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons Champion.

A witch in a lime green robe, identifying her as a Healer, hurried over to the girl and started checking her. No sooner than she had started, another murmur went through the crowd, as red sparks rose for the second time.

"What in Merlin's name is going on in there?" Ginny questioned in a small voice. "Do you think Harry is hurt?"

Her worries were blown away - at least for now - when the wizards rescued Viktor Krum. He appeared to be unconscious, just like Ms Delacour. What worried Cassiopeia was, that none of the seemed to be injured. The Healer woke both of her patients with a simple spell.

When Scrimgeour, Shacklebolt and Dawlish joined the Healer in her examination, Hermione asked: "What is going on down there? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, dear," Mrs. Weasley answered. "But I'm sure the Healer will manage to sort them out."

Cassiopeia shook her head slowly. The way the Aurors where talking to Mr. Krum didn't sit well with her: "I don't like this. Something is not right here."

Just as she said this, she caught Shacklebolt's eye and he nodded for her to come down to them. Her eyes narrowed worriedly. Why would they need her help? Healing was not her strong suit. The Auror gestured with his hands. It was a sign she knew well.

"If you'd excuse me for a moment," she told the Weasleys and the rest of Harry Potter's friends. "It seems my expertise is needed down there."

Cassiopeia stripped off her traveling cloak, since it would only hinder her mobility and hurried down the stairs and onto the pitch, well aware of the hundreds of eyes, that followed her. If someone in a silver-grey robe with a wand drawn was seen somewhere, it was never a good sign.

"What's wrong?" she asked, once she reached the formerly knocked out Champions.

"What 'appened to my student?" Madame Maxime asked in her heavy accent, looking concerned.

"Something I would like to know as well," Professor Karkaroff added.

"Please, let the Healer do her job. Why don't you all wait over there?" Dawlish suggested, pointing at a spot to his right and proceeding immediately to leading them there.

Once they were out of earshot the Healer started to explain: "They were stunned, both of them. It was not difficult to wake them up. None of them are injured otherwise."

"Mr. Krum, Ms Black is another valued employee of the _Department of Magical Law Enforcement_. Would you please tell her what you just told us?" Scrimgeour asked the famous Seeker.

"I don't remember much. I heard a voice. Some spell, I could not understand. Then I velt light, as if I was flying and then I vas - I - " Krum's voice broke off. He looked around, helplessly, as if he didn't know how to explain.

"He needs to rest," the Healer insisted. "You can question him later!"

Cassiopeia looked at Scrimgeour for a moment inquiring as how he wanted to proceed.

"Can you confirm it?" he asked her. The witch looked at the Healer: "It will only take a few moments."

To Viktor Krum she said: "Is it alright for you if I look at your memories? I will not stay longer than necessary and I promise to only look at what happened in the maze. Once it's done, you won't have to talk to any of us anymore. I will have all of the information necessary."

"Legilimency?" the Champion asked her. It was not a common ability to have, especially for someone so young. Even among the _Hit Wizards_ , there were few with the ability. The ones, that showed talent, were trained specially and focused mainly on interrogations. Cassiopeia was the only one, that worked in the field as well.

When the witch confirmed Krum's suspicion, he looked at her for a moment, before nodding.

"Very well."

Cassiopeia tried to be as gentle as possible, when entering the young man's mind. She knew it could be uncomfortable to have a complete stranger in your head, looking at your memories.

 _"Think of the maze, show me what happened"_ she told him. _"Nothing else, just the maze."_

The grey fog in front of her cleared and the hedges of the maze took shape. She could hear a voice whispering and suddenly, the focus of the memory became slightly off. Cassiopeia knew what was happening. She'd recognize that feeling anywhere. During her training, she had been placed under the same curse numerous times, until she could shake it off without any effort. _Imperius_.

 _"Thank you!"_ she said to Krum, before leaving his mind-scape. Immediately the Healer bustled off with her patients.

"And?" Shacklebolt asked her. Cassiopeia looked up at the Aurors and nodded.

"There is no mistaking it. It's the Imperius."

"What?"

"But how - "

"Who would - "

The Aurors around her started speaking all at once. Cassiopeia held up a hand to quiet them down.

"I have no idea who, but for the how... there are only two possibilities. Either it was someone from the outside of the maze or someone from the inside. Seeing as only the Champions are inside and I doubt one of those two can successfully cast an Unforgivable - "

"But we would have seen if someone was sneaking around the maze," Dawlish interjected. Cassiopeia looked at him and his brows furrowed: "You can't honestly think it was one of us!"

A sudden spark of green from a platform behind them caught everybody's interest.

"Looks like we have a winner!" Bagman shouted happily.

"Finally," Scrimgeour sighed. "He should be here any second now. The Cup is a Portkey."

The minutes trickled by but nothing happened. Cassiopeia stared impatiently at the platform.

"I didn't think a Portkey took that long," Nymphadora wondered. She had joined the small group of Ministry officials while Cassiopeia was looking at Krum's memories.

"They don't," Shacklebolt stated, looking worriedly over to Dumbledore. The old wizard was staring at the green light, confused.

"Perhaps there was a malfunction?" Bagman wondered loudly, as the crowd grew restless.

"Malfunction? If Mad-Eye placed the Cup?" Nymphadora asked.

Cassiopeia had to agree with her. If Mad-Eye had placed the Cup, there was no chance it had malfunctioned. The old wizard knew how to create a Portkey and was far to thorough to mess it up.

"Where is Mad-Eye? Perhaps he has an idea?" she questioned the others.

"I am here, Ms Black," came the answer from behind her. "What is this green light all about?"

"It's supposed to alert us to the imminent arrival of the winner. Dawlish placed the spell on the middle of the maze yesterday. As soon as one of the Champions reaches the middle, the light over there turns green," Scrimgeour explained.

"First time I hear about that," Moody grumbled, his magical eye rotating wildly in his head.

"It was a spontaneous decision, so no one would miss the arrival of the winner."

"Obviously it doesn't work correct," the Ex-Auror said.

Whilst Mad-Eye and Dawlish were busy staring at each other, Cassiopeia silently planned out their next action. This was far more her area of expertise than that of the Aurors. Unknown opponent, possibly extremely dangerous, difficult terrain. She could work with that. Her eyes scanning the witches and wizards at her disposal, she decided on a course of action.

"Shacklebolt, Tonks, Dawlish, Moody! Pick someone from the other Aurors and patrol along the outsides of the maze in teams of two. Check for anything unusual. If you find something sent sparks. Scrimgeour, you wait here. As soon as you see sparks you go help investigate," she ordered. The Head of the Auror Office accepted her order with a nod. He might have the advantage of years of fieldwork on her, but she had been trained specially for situations like this.

"What about you?" Shacklebolt asked.

"I check from above. On a broom, I am the most vulnerable target and I am by far the best flyer amongst us. Besides, I am used to dueling on a broom. If no one was inside that damned maze, I would simply burn it down to check but since that is not possible - "

"The maze has been made fireproof anyway," Dawlish interjected.

Cassiopeia looked at him and grinned: "Never heard of Fienfyre?"

Maybe it was not the easiest spell to control - and a quite dark one as well - but as a Black, she had a and for such curses.

Looking over to Dumbledore, she decided that, as Headmaster, he was probably entitled to be informed about her actions.

"I'll be talking to Professor Dumbledore for a minute and join you then. Mr. Scrimgeour, you're responsible for this lot, until I'm back."

Cassiopeia went over to the three Headmasters. By now, the families of the two rescued Champions had joined them.

" 'ow ees our daughter?" a blond witch - obviously Fleur Delacour's mother - asked her. "Was she eenjured?"

"I am afraid, I am no Healer, so I cannot answer your question. I only talked to Mr. Krum for a minute. He seemed to be shaken but otherwise unharmed. For more information you will have to ask the Healer. Professor Dumbledore, can we talk for a minute?"

The Headmaster of Hogwarts nodded and led her away from the fretting parents.

"What is it?" he asked her. "You seem concerned and, with how the Aurors are spreading around the maze, I suspect something happened?"

"Indeed. Normally, I would not give out this information at this time but I believe you need to know. Mr. Krum was put under the Imperius Curse, while in the maze."

"But how is that possible? There were people patrolling all the time. No one could have gotten close without notice."

"I know. I have the Aurors I trust - or at least think I can trust," she added, thinking of Dawlish whom she still had not forgiven. "Anyway, they are currently checking the outside. I will use a broom and check the maze from above. If I find one of the Champions, I will remove him from the maze immediately. I don't care about the Task, I want those children safe."

"Completely agreeable," Dumbledore nodded. "I would not want to risk their lives. Especially when someone seems to be after the Champions and not afraid of using the Unforgivables."

"Headmaster."

They were interrupted by a voice Cassiopeia would recognize everywhere.

"Professor Snape," she greeted her former Head of House coldly.

"Ms Black. If you'd excuse us, I have to talk to the Headmaster immediately."

"If it isn't a matter of life and death, get in line. I am trying to find two Champions, preferably before they get cursed."

The Professors exchanged a look.

"Severus, is it the - " Dumbledore asked and the Potion Master nodded. "Show me."

"Now?" Snape asked with a side glance to Cassiopeia. She could clearly hear the unspoken _In front of her?_

"Yes, Severus."

The Professor carefully rolled up the sleeve of his left arm. On his forearm the Dark Mark stood jet black against the pale skin.

"It started burning not a minute ago," Snape explained. Cassiopeia could only stare at the Mark.

"That is not possible. The Mark faded when he was defeated," she said soundlessly. She had seen the Mark on Lucius Malfoy's arm, a couple of years ago. It had looked like nothing more than a faint red tattoo.

"So he is back then," Dumbledore stated with a sigh. For a moment, he truly looked his age. Worry was shining in his blue eyes.

"Ms Black, if you would be so kind and start searching for Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter immediately. Especially for Mr. Potter, if you please."

Cassiopeia nodded, still not quite believing what she had just see. Forcefully shaking herself out of her stupor, she pulled her broom out of a magically enlarged pocket of her robes. Swiftly kicking off the ground, she rose into the air. Once the wind blew into her face, she noticed she had forgotten to tie her hair back. The long black strands where fluttering behind her.

 _Well, too late to tie it back now anyway_ , she thought, slightly annoyed at her forgetfulness.

Looking down, she saw the seemingly endless green of the maze beneath her. Did they really expect the Champions to find their way into the middle? That thing was huge. It could take days for someone to finally find the right path. What were the spectators expected to do during that time? Stare at the hedge?!

Cassiopeia took a few seconds to look at the landscape around her. The familiarity calmed her and she needed a clear mind for the task at hand. Up here, she was an easy target and she couldn't rely on the Aurors on the ground to spot every possible danger. She needed to strategically search the maze, while keeping an eye open for any attacker, so she pulled out her wand with one hand and stirred the broom with the other.

Deciding the best place to start her search was probably the middle - after all the spell had indicated someone had arrived there - she flew off. It was getting darker by the minute, within half an hour there would not be enough light left to see the ground and searching with _Lumos_ was a pain.

She had done that, once, after a colleague got knocked off his broom by a spell. Unfortunately, the spell had also cancelled the tracking charm, placed on everyone, before they went out. It had been a hilly region and moving on a broom had been easier than walking, but it had taken them two hours to locate the injured wizard in the dark.

Even on a broom, it took her a couple of minutes to reach her aim. Lowering her broom, she surveyed the area. Nobody was there. Reaching the pillar the Cup was supposed to stand on, she noticed with confusion that it was gone. Raising her wand, she checked the pillar for any residue magic. The soft blue glow confirmed that a Portkey had left this place, not too long ago. But where had it brought the Champion, if not back to the entrance?

After she found no indication, as to which Champion had reached the Cup first, she rose into the air again, determined to find at least the other Champion. Spiraling out from the middle, she checked the whole maze. Apart from a couple of creatures, that were at least classified as XXXX, she didn't see anyone. Had she missed them somehow? She definitely needed some more light up here. No sparks had appeared around the edges of the maze, while she had been up in the air, so the others probably didn't find anything as well. They were of better use searching for the missing Champions manually.

_Sparks! Why didn't I think of that before?_

Magically amplifying her voice, she called out: "Would any of the Champions still in the maze please sent out green sparks, so we can confirm your location and continued well-being?"

When no sparks flew up, she repeated her request. Still not finding any sign of the Champions, she returned to the entrance. They needed more people to search the entire maze. Maybe they would have to tear it down piece by piece to speed up the search.

As soon as she landed, Scrimgeour was next to her: "Have you found anything?"

"The Cup is gone, but there is no sign of the Champions."

The Head of the Auror Office cursed colorfully.

Cassiopeia had to smile at some of his inventions, but said: "Anyway, I say we tear down the maze and have the guys from _Regulation and Control_ take care of the creatures, maybe Hagrid can help them. It's too dark to check from above. Have you found any sign of the one, that cast the Imperius?"

"None. I am honestly beginning to suspect it was one of our own and that is not a pleasant thought. Still, I don't believe..."

Before Cassiopeia could find out what the Auror didn't believe, a flash of light and a thud announced the arrival of a Portkey. The crowd erupted into a cheer.

Turning around she saw the bodies of two boys on the ground. Dumbledore was already making his way over to them and Cassiopeia hurried to catch up. Minister Fudge was coming down the stairs of the box he had sat in.

The Headmaster and the Hit Witch reached the Hogwarts students at the same time. The younger of the boys, Harry Potter, Cassiopeia concluded, reached out to Dumbledore and said something about seeing Voldemort return.

He was truly back. The man that was responsible for the death of one of her brothers and the imprisonment of the other was back. The wizard, that had had her father erect the tightest and most powerful ward in Great Britain - apart from Hogwarts - around their house, the wizard, that had even her proud mother hide in fear after Regulus' death, was back.

"Cedric Diggory is dead." The words seemed to slowly pierce her mind. She didn't hear what else was said around her, but that phrase was repeated so often, it finally registered.

She looked at the boy in Hufflepuff colors, finally noticing the blank stare of his eyes. Somehow, seeing the dead body returned her into work mode.

There was no immediate danger around, Scrimgeour was looking at the body, that left the witness.

Searching for Harry, Cassiopeia saw him disappearing into the castle with Mad-Eye. Furrowing her brow, she made to follow them and was quickly joined by the Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape.

"Why is Mad-Eye leading Potter away? He knows witnesses are required to stay until they have been questioned," she asked Dumbledore.

"I am not sure what is going on. All I know is, that Alastor would never remove Mr. Potter from my side when Voldemort just returned."

"You think that's not Mad-Eye?" the witch concluded.

Reflecting on the events of the last few hours, Cassiopeia could see several instances, where Mad-Eye had not reacted like she had expected him to. He had not chastised her for calling him Alastor instead of Mad-Eye, he had called her Ms Black and not 'Tiny', as to refer to her petite statue. The Mad-Eye she knew would never have had a silent staring duel with Dawlish. The younger Auror would have received a verbal lashing, that would have had their ears ring for days.

"Son of Morgana!" she cursed. "I obviously need a vacation, if I can't even recognize an imposter right under my nose."

"Don't be too harsh on yourself, Ms Black. We lived with him in this castle for almost a year and didn't notice anything," Professor McGonagall told her.

The four hurried down the corridors, the Hit Witch trailing a bit behind the Professors, since she didn't know where Mad-Eye's - _the imposter's_ \- quarters where.


	4. Far too many revelations

"... mad!" They could hear the voice of a boy trough a closed door.

"Mad, ... I? ... will see..." The words were muffled by the door, so they could only hear pieces of the conversation.

Cassiopeia went to open the door first. She was used to placing herself in harm's way, but Dumbledore gently pushed her aside and pulled the door open himself. Not a moment later she heard him yell: " _Stupefy!_ "

Her wand carefully raised in front of her, Cassiopeia followed the Headmaster into the room, keeping the other two Professors behind her with her other hand.

Inside the room, Dumbledore was busy turning the unconscious body of, whoever the imposter was, on his back with one foot. To her left, Cassiopeia noticed her own face stare back out of what could only be a Foe-Glass. Real or not, any version of Mad-Eye seemed to be paranoid. The whole office was stuffed with books about defensive magic, dueling spells or counter curses. There were some empty potion vials on the floor and on the desk.

Finally her gaze fell upon Harry Potter. For the first time, she really looked at the boy. His black hair was a mess and he seemed to be bleeding from both his leg and arm. His face was a ghostly white, making his expressive green eyes stand out even more.

Professor McGonagall was trying to lead her small lion away to the Hospital Wing but Dumbledore stopped her, insisting on Harry staying. While they were talking, Cassiopeia went over to the body on the floor and searched the man. The only way to become such a perfect copy of Mad-Eye was Polyjuice Potion. Not even a Metamorphmagus could imitate a person so flawlessly. Since Mad-Eye was known for only drinking out of his own flask, it would be the perfect solution for hiding the vile brew.

Finding the silver flask, she smelled at it: "Definitely Polyjuice. We'll need a truth serum, Veritaserum if possible."

"Severus, would you please? And bring a house-elf named Winky from the kitchen as well. Minerva, if you would be so kind and go down to Hagrid's hut. You will find a black dog sitting in the pumpkin patch. Please bring him to my office and tell him to wait for me there," Dumbledore asked the two Professors.

"What do you need a house-elf for?" Cassiopeia questioned the old wizard, while she pulled a set of heavy keys out of the robes of the imposter. Looking around for fitting keyholes, she noticed a huge trunk with seven of them.

"Merlin, I hate those trunks. They are a menace if you search something," she grumbled but started to try out the keys. Without the truth serum, she had nothing to do anyway.

"You'll see when she arrives," the Headmaster said mysteriously. Cassiopeia glared at him. Couldn't he answer a question straight for once?

"Perhaps introductions are necessary. Ms Black, Harry Potter. Harry, this is Cassiopeia Black, your godfather's sister."

"Pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. Potter. I promise I am not trying to - will you go into that keyhole - kill you or do anything similar," Cassiopeia said pleasantly, struggling with a key. "What do you mean 'godfather', Headmaster?"

"Your brother is Mr. Potter's godfather, didn't you know?"

"Haven't really talked to my brother since I was a small kid," the witch answered, still fighting with the last keyhole. Finally, it opened, revealing a deep, dark pit. Lighting the tip of her wand, Cassiopeia peered down. "I found Mad-Eye," she told the others. "He's unconscious but seems to be alive."

"Good, then we only need to wait for the effects of the potion to die away," Dumbledore said, grabbing a chair and sitting down. Cassiopeia slid onto the floor right where she was standing. Depending on when he last took the potion, they could be sitting here for up to one hour. Hopefully, Snape would be quicker with his truth serum. They could ask him who he really was, without needing visual proof.

Cassiopeia glared at the unconscious man, annoyed. This was not how she had envisioned this day at all. She had thought about a quiet day, without any paper work, full of sitting around and waiting for nothing to happen. Well, the sitting around and waiting part was happening right now but that was _not_ what she had meant. And the report she would have to write about all of this...

Drumming her fingers on the floor, she watched the face of the man in front of her. Small shivers where running over the skin. Apparently, they did not have to wait too long. She got up, training her wand directly on his heart and watched the transformation occur.

Once the man was back to his normal self, she gasped: "That is..."

"Barty Crouch Jr.!" Snape said from the door.

"But he died in Askaban!" Cassiopeia stated, not trusting her own eyes. "It was in the newspaper."

"What is you doing here, Master Barty?" house-elf squeaked. Winky, Cassiopeia presumed. While the Headmaster calmed down the house-elf, the witch took the truth serum from Professor Snape. Veritaserum, she noticed, pleased. You had to give Snape that. When it came to potions, the man was excellently prepared.

Cassiopeia pulled up the unconscious man and leaned him against the trunk. After carefully administering the potion, she woke Crouch up. Once he opened his eyes, they immediately crossed, trying to fix on her wand between them.

"Good evening, Mr. Crouch. I am Ms Black, from the _Hit Wizard Office_ ," Cassiopeia said to him, smiling sweetly. "Would you be so kind and tell me why you are not dead and buried in Askaban?"

That was how she preferred to question suspects. Straight to the point. No unnecessary babbling. The name Black usually put the icing on the cake and they started to talk quickly, even without a truth serum, which was not always at hand.

"I never died in Askaban," the man explained in a flat voice. "My mother did. She took my place there and died. It was her last wish and my father couldn't deny her that. She was sick, didn't have to live much longer anyway, so when she visited me, we used Polyjuice Potion to switch places. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother and she died for me in Askaban."

"Don't! You is in big trouble for that!" the female house-elf wailed.

"Shut up!" Cassiopeia snapped at her. "Continue, Mr. Crouch."

"My father put me under the Imperius curse and kept me hidden beneath an invisibility cloak."

He continued, telling them about Bertha Jorkins, the Quidditch World Cup and how Wormtail and Voldemort had found him.

"Who's Wormtail?" Cassiopeia asked, confused. She had never heard of a wizard with such a strange name. There were a lot of magical people with odd names but she was sure she would have remembered Wormtail.

"Peter Pettigrew," Harry Potter answered her, his voice bitter.

"Peter Pettigrew is dead. My brother killed him."

"No he did not," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms Granger and Remus Lupin all saw Peter Pettigrew alive last year. His death was faked."

"Sirius did not kill Pettigrew?" Cassiopeia stared at the Headmaster. He may occasionally leave out things but she had never heard him lie. This did not make sense to her at all. Her brother had been sent to Askaban because he murdered Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles. How could Pettigrew be alive? "What about those Muggles? Did he kill them?"

"No, that was Pettigrew," Harry told her. "He blew up the street behind him, yelling for all to hear, that Sirius had betrayed my parents and turned into a rat and disappeared. He is an Animagus."

Cassiopeia blinked, not believing what she heard. "Wait, so you are telling me my brother has spent twelve years innocently in Askaban? Why didn't any of you say something? You could have had the hunt for him stopped months ago!"

"Pettigrew escaped. The word of three third-years would never have been enough for the Minister to call of the hunt," Dumbledore explained, giving her a sad look. Now that she thought about it, this certainly explained, how Sirius had been able to escape, again, when he had been caught in Hogwarts. With Dumbledore's aid... The Hit Witch glared at the Headmaster. Why had he not told her, at least?

"What about Remus Lupin? He could have told him. Or use Legilimency on the children. A skilled Legilimens can distinguish between a real and a fake memory. Or Veritaserum, they couldn't lie while under it!" Cassiopeia simply rattled off any idea that came to her mind. They did not really register with her, as she was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her brother had been innocent all this time.

Could she have known? Should she have known? Could she have done anything to get him out of that hellhole earlier? Where was he now?

"I think we should continue with questioning Mr. Crouch first. We can talk about Sirius later. Voldemort's return has to have priority, now," Dumbledore said, turning back to the Death Eater. "What did Voldemort do, once he found you?"

The Hit Witch wasn't actively listening to Crouch anymore, her mind had finally fixed on ways to proof her brothers innocence and to call off the hunt. If he wasn't hunted anymore, he could turn himself in without fearing the Kiss and have a trial to proof his innocence. Thinking about trial - why didn't the first trial proof his innocence? Veritaserum was standard procedure in such cases - unless there had never been a trial.

Cassiopeia stared blankly at the wall in front of her. That was the only possibility. But sending someone to Askaban without a trial broke about a dozen laws. The witch pinched the bridge of her nose. The headache she had felt at the back of her head, was making itself known full force now. There was too much new information for one day and she desperately needed sleep. The Pepper Up Potion she had taken had worn off earlier.

What did her mentor always say? If there is too much of a chaos and you can't get an overview, retreat. Retreat, analyze the new aspects, make a new plan and try again.

She could give her report about Voldemort's return tomorrow. Fudge and the Aurors had probably been informed about the Dark Lord's return by now anyway, so there was no need for her to alarm the _DMLE_. Thinking about that could wait until tomorrow.

Next topic. Sirius. She needed more information about that. Making a mental note to check for records on his trial as soon as she had the time, she decided that he had to wait. He had survived on his own until now, he would have to manage a couple more days. Preparing for Death Eater raids was more important than searching for her brother, who could be Merlin knows where. Perhaps she could subtly ask Kingsley Shacklebolt where her brother was assumed to be.

"Ms Black?" Dumbledore interrupted her thoughts. "Would you come with Mr. Potter and I?"

Looking around, she noticed Snape had left the room and Crouch had been bound and knocked out.

Right. There was still the escaped Death Eater to deal with. Would his testimony under Veritaserum be enough to call off the hunt for Sirius or would they say he lost his mind in Askaban?

"I should inform the Minister and the Aurors about Crouch. He's part of their jurisdiction. They need to bring him back to Askaban, until I have time to officially question him about Pettigrew," Cassiopeia answered.

"Professor Snape is already on his way to inform the Minister and Professor McGonagall will keep an eye on Crouch until they get here. You've done enough today and you look like you can use a break."

"That's a permanent condition in my job and I don't see it getting any better in the future," Cassiopeia sighted but got up to follow Dumbledore. Fudge usually agreed with everything Dumbledore said anyway.

"We will go to my office first. There is someone waiting for Mr. Potter there," Dumbledore told the two.

"Shouldn't he be treated by a Healer first? He's bleeding," Cassiopeia inquired, indicating at the injured arm and leg. Looking more closely at the pale young wizard she added: "He could probably use sleep even more than I, right now."

"We will go there soon. This is important for Harry."

The boy's quiet inquiry about the dead Champion's parents warmed Cassiopeia's heart. After all the child had been though, he still placed others before himself. It was a trait she rarely saw in people.

 

 

Once they had reached the gargoyle on the seventh floor and Dumbledore had give the password - a sweet, of course, didn't he ever run out of new ones? - they entered the Headmaster's office. Harry went first, followed by the Professor, with Cassiopeia last. Thus, she couldn't see whom the voice belonged to that was inquiring Harry about his health and the events of the past few hours. When Dumbledore stepped out of her line of sight, her mouth fell open.

This day had just officially made it on top of her list of the weirdest days of her life.

The last time she had seen the man in front of her, had been on a picture in the _Daily Prophet_ , shortly after he had escaped. He had lost weight since then and his hair was even more tangled. 'Black' curls could be a real menace, if not cared for properly. She had made that experience, when they had hunted a dark wizard for three days without break. It had taken almost an hour to brush out the tangles but she refused to cut her hair.

The Hit Witch wanted to say something to him, a greeting, anything but what came out was: "You do realize I technically have to arrest all three of you now?"

Sirius looked up from his godson, his eyes widening when he saw her. His gaze traveled from her face to her silver-grey robes back to her face.

"Cassiopeia?" he finally croaked out.

"Hello, Sirius," the witch finally managed to greet him.

Her brothers eyes flickered between her and Dumbledore: "Why did you bring _her_ here?!"

Dumbledore shrugged and gave Cassiopeia an inquiring look, clearly waiting for her to make up her mind. There was much at stake for everybody in the room and it all depended on one small decision.

The witch sighed, massaging her temples. "Well, I haven't slept more than ten hours, in total, the past four days. The sleep deprivation must be finally making itself known. I am sure Albus Dumbledore would never hide a fugitive criminal in his office. Perhaps I should take some time off, until my head works correctly, again. I could actually go back to my parents house. No one except family and invited guests can enter there. It would be nice and quiet there."

She gave Sirius a pointed look, hoping he would pick up on her hint. Freaking out about helping an escaped Askaban inmate could wait until later. Besides, she wouldn't have to worry about finding him again then.

Looking at her brother again, she said: "You look terrible!"

"You don't look to good either," was his comeback. "No, honestly Peia, you look like a ghost."

"I need to know what happened, Harry," Dumbledore asked the boy.

"Can't that wait until later?" Sirius interjected and Cassiopeia snorted.

"Already suggested he should get some sleep first," she told her brother. "Didn't change anything, as you can see. But, perhaps Dumbledore is right. The times I landed at St. Mungo's, after a mission went wrong, I felt a lot better if I had talked about what happened, before they knocked me out - at least if I was still able to talk."

"Harry, if it would help to let you have a dreamless sleep first, I would let you have it. But, in my experience, Ms Black is right. The pain would be worse afterwards," the Headmaster told Harry, a concerned look on his face.

A soft thrill made Cassiopeia notice the Phoenix on Harry's lap for the first time. She went over to him and knelt down.

"Hello, Fawkes," she greeted him, before looking at the boy. "Take all the time you need. Don't force it out, just let it flow."

The same advice had been given to her, after she had participated in her first mission.

Green eyes focused on her face and the pain in them made her heart break a little. No one so young should have to feel this.

Harry took a deep breath and started talking. He told them about the Portkey taking Cedric Diggory and him to a graveyard, Pettigrew killing the Hufflepuff boy, Voldemort's resurrection. When he named the Death Eaters, that had returned to their masters side, Cassiopeia was not surprised to hear Lucius name upon them. Once Harry started to describe the duel, the witch held her breath. How had this boy survived a duel with the Dark Lord, when trained Aurors and Hit Wizards had failed? The connecting of the wands had her look up at Dumbledore. She could not remember ever hearing of anything like that happening.

"What - "

"Priori Incantatem," Dumbledore muttered. Following his gaze to Fawkes it finally clicked. Right. She _had_ read about it, during her N.E.W.T. preparations.

"Reverse spell effect, caused by twin cores."

"Indeed, Ms Black. Harry's and Voldemort's core are feathers from the same Phoenix."

The bird on Harry's lap gave a thrill, demanding attention.

"Yes, Fawkes," Dumbledore smiled. "The feather your wand is from Fawkes, Harry."

Cassiopeia petted the feathers of the Phoenix, while Dumbledore explained to Harry and Sirius what Priori Incantatem was about. The bird looked at her with his intelligent eyes and gave a happy chirp. It washed softly over the witch and calmed the thoughts that still tumbled in her head.

"But I think, it is time for the Hospital Wing and some Dreamless Sleep Potion for Harry. Sirius, would you like to go with Harry or talk to your sister?"

Sirius looked between his sister and his godson. Cassiopeia decided for him: "We can still talk later. Go with Harry, he needs you now."

Thinking for a second, she added: "How exactly is he supposed to go to the Hospital Wing, Headmaster? There are Aurors close by and I don't think most witches or wizards would simply let a fugitive criminal pass without notifying them. Unless Sirius is a Metamorphmagus and nobody ever told me, I don't see how - "

Her brother gave her a grin and turned into a big black dog. A grim. The witch stared at him, only her strict upbringing keeping her jaw from dropping.

"You're an Animagus. It doesn't say anything about that in your file," she said, giving him a disapproving look. "I take it you never registered?"

The dog wiggled its tail and began chasing it. The motion stirred some old, half forgotten memories of a dog playing with a small girl, in a park far away.

"Snuffles?" she said, disbelieving. Sirius gave a happy bark and jumped up to lick her face.

"Bah! Bad dog! Get down!" she complained, laughing hard. She had never expected to see the dog she had played with at the park, in front of their house, ever again. To find out the dog had been her brother all the time, made her happy. Even after he had left the family, he had still checked up on his little sister.

"You almost gave mother a heart attack once, do you know that? She came out to call me back in and found me playing with a huge grim."

"Will you come also?" Harry asked the witch shyly. Cassiopeia looked at him, astonished. She had not expected him to want her to stay, after all, they had just met.

"Alright. I need a Pepper Up anyway. Otherwise I will join you in taking a nap," she grinned at him.

"Perhaps you should. There are more than enough beds at the Hospital Wing and too much Pepper Up is unhealthy," Dumbledore interjected. Cassiopeia rolled her eyes at him but said nothing. He was right after all.

 

 

The Hospital Wing was full of noisy redheads, all wanting to know how Harry was and what happened. Apparently, the Weasleys had waited here, since Harry went back into the castle with the imposter. While Dumbledore explained to them that Harry needed to rest, Cassiopeia went over to a cabinet, where she knew from her school time the Pepper Ups were kept.

"And what exactly are you looking for, Ms Black?" Madam Pomfrey questioned her.

Trying to suppress a yawn, she answered: "Pepper Up. I need to get my brain awake."

Madam Pomfrey gave her a once-over and shook her head.

"No, no Pepper Up for you. You need to sleep. Potions do _not_ substitute for sleeping. How long have you been awake?"

"No idea. Eighteen hours?" she hazarded a guess. "Maybe twenty, I have no idea what time it is, right now."

The nurse's eyes narrowed. "And how many hours did you sleep?"

"Three?"

"Dreamless Sleep Potion for Mr. Potter and you then," the nurse decided, glaring at the questioning tone in the Hit Witch's voice.

Cassiopeia shook her head vehemently. "I will take a nap but I don't have time to sleep for long."

Madame Pomfrey gave her a very disapproving look but accepted. Noticing a comfortable looking chair next to the bed that had been designated an Harry's, Cassiopeia shooed the twin occupying it away.

Sirius, who had been watching his godson's every move, lay down on her feet. When she wiggled her legs in protest, the dog just snuggled closer.

"What is a dog doing in here? This is a Hospital Wing!" Madam Pomfrey's sudden outburst startled her.

"That's mine," Cassiopeia said, grinning down at her brother. "He is well behaved, don't worry."

Sirius chewed at her boot in retaliation but was careful to keep the action out of the sight of Madam Pomfrey. He did not want to get kicked out of the Hospital Wing. Watching him for a minute, Cassiopeia's eyes dropped shut and she nodded away.

The angry voice of Minerva McGonagall had Cassiopeia shoot out of the chair, accidentally kicking Sirius, who was still laying on her feet. The Animagus complained with a low whine.

"Sorry!" she apologized, patting him on the head, before stepping over him and drawing her wand.

Mrs. Weasley was bristling at the loud voices, claiming they would wake up Harry. Shortly after, the Minister and the Head of Gryffindor entered the Hospital Wing in search of Dumbledore.

"He obviously isn't here. Have the Aurors brought Crouch back to Askaban already?" Cassiopeia asked, just as the Headmaster reentered the room.

"I don't think Askaban is the place he will stay at in the future. Thanks to the Minister he will not be a danger to anyone again," Minerva McGonagall answered, still outraged. "He brought one of those horrible Dementors and it..."

"As it was my right as Minister. It is my job to protect the magical population from criminals!" Fudge shouted back. Cassiopeia stared at both of them, trying to connect the dots.

"He got the Kiss?!" Her voice sounded far more squeaky than she would like to admit. "You can't go around and sentence people to the Kiss!"

With Crouch out of the picture the only whiteness for the Dark Lords return they had - apart from Harry Potter - was gone. And the fastest way to proof Sirius' innocence.

"As I said, as Minister of Magic - "

Cassiopeia didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence: "Even if you are the Minister of Magic, you have no right to order a whiteness in an ongoing investigation to get the Kiss! This is perverting the course of justice! It is punishable with up to one year in Askaban, Minister of Magic or not!"

"He was a murderer!" Fudge roared. "Besides, there is no investigation he is wanted for!"

Cassiopeia glared at the man. "The death of Cedric Diggory is a pending investigation! And more importantly, he was a witness to the return of _You-know-who_ and might have had important information on his whereabouts. Something that might have helped my office and the _Auror Office_ greatly in the effort of getting rid of him again. Now we have nothing to work with!"

"You-know-who? Returned?" The Minister looked at Dumbledore as if hoping for him to deny it. The lime green bowler, that he so much liked to spin, lay loosely in his hands.

"As Minerva has surely told you, she, Professor Snape, Mr. Potter, Ms Black and myself heard him confess," the Headmaster answered.

"While Crouch was under Veritaserum," Cassiopeia added.

"That - the use of Veritaserum has to be officially sanctioned by the Ministry!"

Cassiopeia grabbed her robes shoving them, together with her _DMLE_ badge, under the Minister's nose: "Is that official enough for you?! Hit Witches and Wizards are allowed to question under Veritaserum as they see fit. The required two witnesses were there as well."

Scrimgeour suddenly showed up in the door, waving Cassiopeia over. Looking at Dumbledore and trusting him to finish this argument, she went over the Head Auror.

"Why was there a Dementor on the grounds? The Minister wouldn't tell any of us what's going on. Did you find the one that cast the Imperius?" he asked her.

"We did. Barty Crouch Jr., posing as Mad-Eye."

Srimgeour eyes widened in disbelieve. "Barty Crouch Jr.?"

Sighing, Cassiopeia explained what had happened to the confused wizard.

"He is back then? Merlin's beard. We will need to prepare. I will call an emergency meeting for all of the Heads of the _DMLE_ offices. Will you manage to be there at nine? - "

"You will do no such thing!" Fudge interrupted him. " _He_ is not back. We will not waste valuable time and personnel on hunting the figments of a boy's imagination!"

The slightly crazed look in the Minister's eyes had both members of the _DMLE_ step back. Fudge stormed out of the Hospital Wing and Scrimgeour looked between Cassiopeia and the retreating back of Cornelius Fudge.

"You are sure he's back?" he asked quietly.

"I heard Crouch. I put him under Veritaserum, so there is no way he could have lied. If you need more proof - " Cassiopeia turned around to the Potion Master, signaling him to come over. "This should be enough."

She pulled back the Professor's left sleeve and exposed the Dark Mark.

"This is not how a dormant Mark looks like and the only one who can use them..."

The Head Auror pulled on his hair, already looking exhausted. "I will have to think about what we can do."

With that, he turned around and left. Cassiopeia turned back to Dumbledore. "You know how to contact me. Can I leave the dog with you for now?"

She needed to go back to the Ministry. There was an emergency squad of her office on call. She had to make everyone aware of the Dark Lord's return since the Minister was not likely to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since J.K. Rowling never mentioned anything specific about the Hit Wizards, I took the liberty and molded them into something that fit for my story. I imagine the difference between Aurors and Hit Wizards to be something like the difference between police and SWAT.


	5. Return to Grimmauld Place

assiopeia was still fuming, when she apparated onto the doorstep of Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

She had spent the last one and a half weeks meeting with some colleagues and managed to convince some them to be at least more watchful. Most didn't outright believe that Lord Voldemort had returned, thanks to Fudge. The Minister had sent out a memo, warning every employee that Dumbledore had finally lost it and to not believe anything he said about Voldemort's return.

The slandering was getting worse every day. Yesterday, the _Daily Prophet_ had printed an article about Dumbledore and Harry Potter, that had Cassiopeia spend an hour in the training facilities, taking out her anger on some dummies. She didn't know what had enraged her more, the content of the article or the fact that the Minister could dictate what the newspaper wrote.

But today had topped it all. A woman, wearing so much pink it burned one's eyes, had shown up in her office to personally hand out another memo, stating that everybody, who supported Dumbledore's 'absurd theories', would face suspension. The Aurors and also the Hit Wizards were to focus solely on the capture of Sirius Black.

When the pink toad told her in that sickeningly sweet voice, that she was confined to do paperwork, because she was prejudiced, Cassiopeia had lost it. She had stormed out of the office, telling everybody she would take the rest of the week off. So what if they were under-staffed already? She was certainly not letting the Ministry dictate what she had to believe nor would she let a woman, who had probably not even seen a real duel in all of her life, tell her how to do her job.

Coming back to her childhood home left her with a strange feeling in her stomach. She could only hope Sirius had understood her in Dumbledore's office and had come here as well. The house was safer than being out on the streets, especially now, after the Dark Lord had returned. That he probably liked the house as much as she did - which is to say, not at all - was irrelevant. Safety had to be the top priority.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the house she had promised herself to never set a foot in again.

Everything was dark inside. Lighting her wand, so she would not trip over anything the crazy house-elf might have left in the way - as he often had done - she carefully entered the house.

Narrowly avoiding the troll leg substituting as an umbrella stand, she was a bit distracted when the curtains to her right flew open. Looking up, she was met with a sight she could have done perfectly without.

_"You! Have you finally come home to visit your mother? Is that how you thank me for all the time I invested into your upbringing? Allowing that criminal into the noble home of your ancestors?"_

The screeching made her shudder. How she had _not_ missed that.

"Good morning to you too, mother," she spat, waving her wand at the portrait to get her to shut up.

The curtains flew shut again, muffling the screeching. Maybe not silence, but better than before.

"I wish I had a wand. It's annoying to try and pull them close every time she wakes up."

Whirling around, Cassiopeia pointed her wand at the chest of the speaker.

Sirius raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, a small smile on his lips.

"Your reflexes are amazing," he complemented, his eyes never leaving her wand. "You know, when you invited me here of al places, I had hoped it would be... I don't know... inhabitable."

He collected dust from a small table nearby on a finger and blew it into her face. Sneezing, she complained: "Don't do that! Another might accidentally fire off a spell."

"But you don't," Sirius grinned. "Now, I hope you've got some food with you. That blasted house-elf refuses to do anything I order him to do, correctly. Whatever I tell him, he finds a loophole. I've had burned food, frozen food and something that smelled like troll."

Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow. She knew Kreacher did not like her brother - he had mumbled enough about him when she had still lived at her parents' house - but to deliberately misunderstand orders?

"Kreacher!" Calling for the house-elf, she went into the kitchen. It was as dusty as the entrance hall.

"Young Mistress has called?" the house-elf asked, after he had appeared with a soft _plop_. _'Lets the traitor into the house. Would break poor Mistress heart if she could see -'_

"Kreacher! Make food for my brother and me and start cleaning this house afterwards. It's disgusting! Didn't I tell you to keep it in good condition when I left? Oh, and if there is not enough edible and tasty food for us on the table within one hour, your head will never be next to your mother's. Am I understood?"

The house-elf looked at her with watery eyes and obediently went to the stove.

_'Having a dirty criminal in the house of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black -'_

Or not so obediently. "You will refer to my brother as Master, nothing else - and keep your muttering to yourself, I don't want to hear it!" Cassiopeia snapped at the house-elf. "Well, that should take care of the food problem - at least I hope so. I haven't eaten since yesterday evening."

She looked at Sirius to find him staring at her.

"What?" she asked, self-conscious. She hadn't had much time in the morning and her long curls were a mess. Her repetitive pulling on it had not made it better. There were ink stains on her hand as well as her sleeve, caused by her angry stabbing of a form with her quill, while the pink toad had been reading out the memo.

"It has been a while, since I have truly had the time to look at my sister. You've grown up well," the Animagus said, stroking one finger over the dark bags under her eyes. "But you still look as tired as you did when we met in Dumbledore's office. Don't you ever sleep?"

Cassandra gave him a small smile: "On occasion. Why don't we go up into the drawing room, until lunch is ready? I may not be the most talented witch when it comes to cleaning spells but I think I can manage banishing some dust of a couch."

At least she hoped she could do so, without setting the thing on fire this time.

Giving Kreacher a side-glance, the siblings went upstairs, past the heads of the former Black house-elves. Their blank stare had crept the witch out as a child and she didn't feel much better now.

"Those definitely have to go," she muttered to herself, wondering if there was any curse on them, preventing it.

"Yes, please," Sirius agreed behind her.

After cleaning - without an accident - enough room on a sofa for them to sit on comfortably, Cassiopeia looked at her brother. She had so many questions and didn't know which to ask first. What did you ask your brother, when he had escaped out off the most secure prison in the whole country after spending twelve years in there, apparently innocent? How did you escape? Why were you imprisoned, if you are innocent? Didn't they use Veritaserum at your trial?

Sirius spoke up first: "Where do you want me to start? My escape from Askaban or the night the Potters were killed?"

Cassandra thought for a moment. If he truly offered to tell her everything... "Better to start at the beginning," the witch finally said. "I've heard bits from Dumbledore and Harry but all I really know is, that Pettigrew is still alive and you are innocent."

"Alright, then I will start with the day Peter was made Secret Keeper for the Potters..."

Cassiopeia could almost sense the headache she was going to have after this conversation but she let her brother talk, without interrupting him. She had learned that from questioning suspects. Once they talked, you let them finish before asking questions - easiest way to get all of the information.

By the time Kreacher called them for lunch, she was mentally exhausted - and Sirius had not even finished his story yet. How in Merlin's name had he survived all this and was still sane - or as sane as a Black could be. There were rumors after all, that insanity was an inherited condition in their family.

"I'll go wash my hands before we eat. I might still have pink toad cooties," Cassiopeia informed her brother.

"Pink toad...? Wait! Don't use the bathroom on this floor," Sirius said, grabbing her arm.

"Why?"

"There is something in there, I've heard noise coming from the room. I have not figured out what it is but, without a wand, I wasn't so keen on trying..."

"What happened to the famous Gryffindor courage?" Cassiopeia jested. "No, honestly. You mentioned you don't have a wand earlier. Do you know what happened to your old one?"

"They probably snapped it but nobody ever told me."

"I'll check, once I'm back at the office. For now - ," she reached down to her boot and pulled a wand out of a hidden holster. " - you can use this."

She threw it to her brother, who caught it easily. Absentmindedly she wondered how much her life had changed in the past week. From dueling and arresting dark wizards to hiding an alleged mass murderer and arming him. Well, at least nobody could say her life was boring.

"Why do you have two wands?" Sirius questioned her. After all, most wizards only had one wand during their whole life.

"My first wand was damaged in an arrest a couple of months ago. After that, I decided it's better to have a spare nearby - at least in my job," Cassiopeia explained, shrugging her shoulders.

Ollivander had been astonished when she had asked for not only one but two new wands. In the end he thought her reasoning to be sound. Fortunately, two wands chose her, one made of red oak, the other one of blackthorn. The latter had become the backup wand she had now given to her brother. "And now, I will go and hunt down this mysterious creature occupying the bathroom."

 

 

After banishing the pixies that had taken residence in the bathroom - however they had gotten in there - she joint her brother for lunch.

Sirius eyed the food carefully and Cassiopeia covertly cast a few charms, in case Kreacher had dared to disobey her orders. When she found nothing out of order, she began to eat. Kreacher's cooking skills had always been excellent and nothing about that had changed in the past years.

"What I wonder is, how did those pixies even get into the house?" Cassiopeia said, after a while. It wasn't as if the windows stood open for every creature to enter as they pleased.

"Pixies? Well, at least it wasn't anything to dangerous. I don't know if you noticed but I am quite sure the curtains in the drawing room are infested with doxys. There might be a boggard in one of the drawers as well."

Cassiopeia shuddered. After meeting a boggart whilst searching for a criminal in an abandoned house, in the middle of the night, she had lost all interest in meeting the creature ever again.

"Great. Are there any more creatures in here I should be aware of?"

"Well, I keep a Buckbeak in our parents room -"

"A hippogriff?! Why on earth do you keep him inside the house?"

"What else should I do with him? I can't set him free. A Muggle might see him and..."

"Ever heard of something called garden?" Cassiopeia asked with a sigh. If Charlie Weasley knew about a hippogriff being kept in a small room... well, let's not go there. She could remember his passionate speeches about dragons and all other kinds of creatures vividly.

"The garden is far too small for him and there is no way to make him stay in there."

"To small... are we talking about the same garden?" Cassiopeia wondered. The garden she remembered had not been small at all. Enlarged by strong enchantments and carefully warded, it had been big enough for her to practice Quidditch during the holidays. Something she had done excessively. It had not only resulted in victories for Slytherin but had also enabled her to spent as much time away from her mother as possible.

Sirius gave her a frown.

"Alright, come with me." Cassiopeia dragged her brother out of the back door and into the garden.

The flowers, that had once neatly grown in their beds were now everywhere. The hedges, that had obviously not been cut in a while, had grown wild and some parts had withered. The apple tree Cassiopeia had planted together with her father as a small child was now huge and bearing a lot of fruit. All in all, it looked nowhere as neat as it had, when Walburga Black was still alive and Kreacher had tended to it and the Hit Witch loved it. The wild and natural growing of the plants gave the backyard a whole different feeling.

A garden was one of the few things she missed in her flat. When she had moved out, the witch had looked for something small and practical, since she knew she would not spent a lot of time in there. The few days she did spent at home, she missed the opportunity to go outside. Of course, she could always go to a park, there were many of them in walking distance, but she disliked having people around. She could not relax if she felt like someone was watching her.

"Well, this is bigger than I remember," Sirius told her.

"And it has charms on it that prevent flying in or out of it," Cassiopeia added. "I think your hippogriff might like it in here."

A _plop_ announced Kreacher's arrival.

"A visitor has arrived, young Mistress," the house-elf said. "Kreacher be bringing Headmaster in drawing room?"

"No, have him wait in the kitchen," Cassiopeia ordered. At least that room was clean now. There was no need to let anybody see the chaos for now. "Why is Albus Dumbledore in this house, Snuffles?"

The Animagus stopped his examination of the apple tree. "Dumbledore asked me to contact the old members of the Order of the Phoenix. He actually wanted to meet me at Moony's but I told him I would be staying here. I had not expected you to take so long to come here."

Cassiopeia looked at her brother: "Order of the Phoenix? What is that?"

For a moment, the wizard looked at her confused. "Right, you are too young to know. Perhaps it is better if you ask Dumbledore. He founded it during the last war and he can explain it better."

The siblings went back into the kitchen, where the leftovers from their meal had already been cleaned. Apparently Kreacher could work, if given the right initiative.

Dumbledore was sitting in the chair Sirius had occupied not half an hour before. His dark blue robes looked a bit rumpled and he appeared to be very tired, the bags under his eyes were far more pronounced than usual. Perhaps his futile work to convince the people of Voldemort's return took up a lot of his strength.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster. What can we do for you?" Cassiopeia greeted the old wizard with a nod.

"Good afternoon, you two. I had not expected to meet you here, Ms Black," the old wizard said, giving her a curios look over his half-moon spectacles.

"I took the rest of the week off," Cassiopeia explained. "The working atmosphere at the office is... not so nice at the moment."

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled. The witch was happy to notice he had not lost that trait, yet. "Ah, yes. I have been informed about the new... instructions. I take it you are not so happy with them?"

Sirius looked at them curiously: "What instructions?"

His sister quickly explained what had happened at the Ministry since the Third Task and included a short summary of the _Daily Prophets_ articles, in case Sirius had not had a chance to read them.

Sirius fumed about the slandering of his godson: "How dare they say such things about a fourteen year old? Has he not suffered enough? How do they think this other boy died?"

Dumbledore put a calming hand on the Animagus' shoulder: "Sirius, we are all doing what we can to prepare the people for Voldemort's return. The Order is regrouping. Harry is safe for now."

"Sirius mentioned this Order of the Phoenix before. What exactly is that?" Cassiopeia asked.

"Mhh, what exactly is your view on the subject Voldemort right now, Ms Black?" Dumbledore asked back, giving the witch an expectant look.

It gave Cassiopeia the feeling of having to pass a test, but she did not have to think about an answer for long. "He has to be stopped. Another reign of terror, like when he was in power the last time, is unacceptable. I did not become a Hit Witch to sit back and watch, when a Dark Lord is around. I signed up to hunt criminals and put them into Askaban."

Dumbledore held Cassiopeia's gaze for a moment and the witch's eyes narrowed. She knew the Headmaster of Hogwarts was an accomplished Legilimens and she tightened her Occlumency shields on instinct. When the seconds passed and she did not feel an attack on her walls, she relaxed a bit.

"Very well. The Order of the Phoenix is an organization with the goal to bring down Voldemort. I founded it during Voldemort's last reign. Your brother was one of its first members, together with Remus Lupin and James and Lily Potter. Alastor Moody was also a member. Many of us died fighting Death Eaters. Perhaps you've heard about Gideon and Fabian Prewitt or the McKinnons? Frank and Alice Longbottom were also members."

Cassiopeia nodded. She knew about the Prewitts and the McKinnons. Pureblood families, that had been extinct in the male line during the war. The Longbottoms were a part of the family history, after all, it had been her cousin Bellatrix, that had sent them into St. Mungo's.

"I am currently trying to contact all living members, so they can prepare for another war but our numbers are small. The Order has never been big and we lost good people last time. We need new members. Younger witches and wizards that are willing to help us fight. I think Arthur Weasley's two oldest sons want to join-"

"If this is your idea of recruitment, you can stop now. You will need more than stories about the dead to get younger people to join, especially Slytherins. We do value our own lives," Cassiopeia sighed. This Order of the Phoenix seemed to be the main, or only, line of defense the magical society would have against Voldemort. They would need as many good duelists as they could find.

" _But_ I will stay around, considering my brother seems keen on being involved again. Someone has to keep an eye on him, otherwise some of my colleagues might find him. Besides, if you truly want to duel Death Eaters, you will need someone that actually knows what they're doing. Someone who knows more than just those children's spells they usually teach in DADA."

Staying around this Order of the Phoenix seemed to be the wisest choice right now. It may be risky with her job, but it was probably the only way to keep tabs on what the Dark Lord - she really needed to stop calling him that, least someone mistook her for a Death Eater - was doing. That wasn't something she could do alone whilst doing her job as well.

"Good, we can use more people - especially people in the Ministry. Cornelius might be stubborn in believing Voldemort to be dead but we cannot risk the people to be unprepared. We need to convince as many people as possible -"

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes at that: "Have fun trying that. I spoke to some people in _DMLE_. Most don't want to believe he's back and those who might are too afraid they might lose their jobs, if they openly support you. I can understand them. Not everybody has a family fortune to fall back on. I don't care what the Minister tries to do. My colleagues all know I love my job, but if someone annoys me, I'm gone."

For Cassiopeia, her work had never been about earning money. The Black family had enough of that and with Sirius in Askaban and Regulus dead, she was the only one, that had access. Well, she had made sure she was the only one. After her mother's death, she had gone to Gringotts and told them to deny any of her cousins access. She had wanted to clean the family name and for that, any ties to potential disasters had to be severed. It had pained her to also cut Andromeda off but she did not want to seem biased to either side.

Working as a Hit Witch had been another step in that plan. Of course, she had always been interested in DADA, her grades had been impeccable and she had learned about a lot of dark curses since she was a child. But working in Law Enforcement showed, that she was nothing like the family members rotting in Askaban. In the six years since she had left school, she had managed to convince at least her department, that she was not as dark, as her name might indicate. It was a baby step in her overall plan, but an important one none the less. The voices of those working for the _DMLE_ were respected all across the magical population. If they accepted her, other witches and wizards might at least start thinking. The fact that she loved the thrill of the hunt and the chance to use all of the curses she knew, was just an added bonus.

Dumbledore gave her a speculating look. "May I come back to that one day?"

"Huh? Me not caring about working at the Ministry?" Cassiopeia was confused. Why was that interesting for him?

"Yes, indeed. Sirius, did you reach all of the people I asked you to contact?"

"I did. Arabella will keep an eye on Harry for now. It took me a while to find Mundungus but he knows, as well as Moony," Sirius answered the Headmaster.

"Mundungus? Mundungus Fletcher?" Cassiopeia asked, disbelieving. There were not many, even amongst the magical people, whose name was Mundungus. It could only be Mundungus Fletcher. Why in Merlin's name would anybody want to work with him? "You do realize that he is wanted? I think they arrested him for minor thievery at least four times since I joined _DMLE_."

"That's Dung for you," Sirius grinned.

"Mr. Fletcher might not have the most respectable character but he hears things, that never reach people like you and me," Dumbledore explained.

Thinking about it for a moment, Cassiopeia nodded. Criminals knew each other and talked, that she had learned in her job. Many of them would also join Voldemort, if he asked them, of that she was sure. They could steal and kill and whatnot without fear of repercussion and he would gain followers, who's death did not matter in the overall scheme. They would be disposable but could be used to do smaller tasks - without it being connected to Voldemort or his Death Eaters by the authorities.

"I would enjoy staying a little longer, but, unfortunately, I have to go now. I have a meeting with Severus in ten minutes and I don't want to be late," Dumbledore said, turning to the door. "Sirius, I will contact you again."

Cassiopeia grabbed his arm to stop him: "Not so fast. Before you leave, I need an oath, that you never tell anybody about the location of this house without my explicit permission."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in question.

"This house has always been the refugee of my family. Only relatives of the Black family ever knew it's address - well, by now Sirius and I are the only ones. Neither Cissy, Bella nor Andy ever came here without their father. I will not risk compromising the security of this house. My father put far too much work into the wards and, in times like this, I'd rather have a safe house as a refugee."

"This is Dumbledore we are talking about," Sirius interjected. "He wouldn't tell anyone, and there is no one that could force him to!"

"I require an oath none the less. He might not give it away on purpose but I will _not_ risk it. An oath will stop him from revealing anything by accident. If I could cast it and be the secret keeper at the same time, I would have put the house under a Fidelius ages ago. Then it would be the safest place on the Isles, apart from Hogwarts. I may hate this house but having a safe place to retreat is invaluable. Besides, there are some things in here.."

"You will have your oath and I will help you with the Fidelius, if I get something in return," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"And what would that be?" Cassiopeia asked, suspiciously. She did not trust people who asked for something in return for a courtesy. If the other person had been anybody else, she may have obliviated them by now, but with Dumbledore, she knew her chances were slim to not existing. In addition, a strong witch or wizard may be able to find the information regardless of the spell, so an oath was the best option.

"We are looking for a safe place for the Headquarter of the Order of the Phoenix. A place where we can have meetings. Somewhere those members of the Order, that feel the security of their own houses is not good enough, can live. Sirius already suggested this house when I talked to him a few days ago, but he insisted on your permission. You would get your oath and the Fidelius, if you give me your oath not to betray secrets of the Order, and let us use the house as Headquarter. With you as the secret keeper, you will know about every person that can enter the house and nobody can give away the address," Dumbledore explained.

His reasoning was sound, Cassiopeia had to admit and having the house under the Fidelius was important to her. The risk that one of the Black sisters knew the address was slim, but there were dark artifacts in the house she would rather not see anywhere near them. She would still have to find them all and seal them away, so that no one could find and touch them by accident but, at least, no one would be actively looking for them.

"Very well. An oath for an oath for now. We should meet for the Fidelius at your earliest convenience. I assume you would want your Headquarter to be accessible as soon as possible?" Cassiopeia agreed to the Headmasters proposal.


	6. Unexpected letters and a Curse Breaker

Two days after Dumbledore's visit to Grimmauld Place, Cassiopeia was woken by the insistent pecking of an owl against the window of her childhood bedroom. She would have thought it to be strange, to sleep in the silver and green room again, but it had been very familiar and, somehow, comforting. The house may not be very welcoming but it felt more like a home than the sterile flat she lived in.

Perhaps the cold feeling of the flat was, why Bastet, her cat, did not like the flat at all. The slim, black cat with the amber eyes had been a present from her father, when she had been accepted into Hogwarts and the Hit Witch loved the animal more than almost anything. Because she worked so much, Cassiopeia rarely saw the cat but Bastet managed quite fine on her own. She knew where to find food in the flat and there were some charmed toys to keep her entertained. Whenever Cassiopeia came home, Bastet would come to the door, rub her head at her legs and request a scratch behind the ear.

When Cassiopeia had gone home for quick check up on her familiar after Dumbledore had left, the cat had been waiting at the door again but this time with all of her toys next to her. The Hit Witch had laughed at her cat's 'packing' but picked her and the toys up anyway and took them with her to Grimmauld Place. She was not afraid of Bastet touching anything dangerous. The cat was extremely intelligent and grew up in the house. She knew where to go and what places best to avoid. Perhaps she could also help get rid of some of the creatures, that had taken up residence in the house. At least, they would provide a good opportunity to hunt for the cat.

The owl pecked at the window again. Not bothering to get up just yet or disturb Bastet, who slept peacefully on the witch's feet, she waved her wand at the window. It opened and the owl swooped in, dropping a letter onto her bed. Picking it up and turning it around, Cassiopeia was surprised to find Gringotts official seal. What was so important for the goblins to write to her? Was there a problem with the vault?

 

_Dear Ms Black,_

_an appointment with our Curse Breaker, Mr. William Weasley, has been scheduled for four p.m. this afternoon, as requested. Please arrive at the Main Hall, you will be picked up from there._

_Kind regards,_

_Ragnok_

_Gringotts Wizarding Bank_

_Diagon Alley, London_

 

Requested appointment? She could not recall requesting any appointment, least of all with William Weasley. What in Merlin's name would she need a Curse Breaker for? Well, except for decursing half of the house...

Knowing that many of the people coming to the house in the foreseeable future had not grown up in a dark family, Cassiopeia had started to clean the house of dangerous objects. Sirius had tried to be of as much help as he could be but, since he had spent about thirteen years without a wand, Cassiopeia did not trust in his abilities.

Perhaps his tendencies to fool around had been another reason for her to ban him from the room she was working on. She had just found out he had been innocent this whole time, there was no need to lose him because he touched the wrong object. How he had survived in this house sixteen years was a mystery to her.

The sheer number of cursed objects in the ancestral Black home had surprised Cassiopeia. She had known about many of them but, apparently, Walburga Black had acquired even more in the time between her daughter's moving out and her death. How she had done that, considering she had never left the house, would forever be inexplicable.

Even though it would have made sense to start her cleaning at the entrance door and work through the rooms, that would be used most, Cassiopeia had started with her parents room - after Sirius brought his hippogriff outside. Perhaps throwing out things her loathed mother had owned, helped her to make this house feel more like a place she did not need to dread.

From her father's things, Cassiopeia had kept a few items. Orion Black had died while she was at Hogwarts and her memories of him were fond ones. Her brother seemed to hate both of his parents equally, but the witch had loved the father, that had enlarged the garden for her to play in and bought her Bastet. The family ring he had always worn, was safely around her neck, as a good luck charm.

Kreacher had been terribly unhappy, when he saw her throwing out the contents of her mother's wardrobe. His insistent wailing about traitors had given Cassiopeia a headache. She had to forbid him speaking, until told otherwise, to get him to shut up.

Another owl, coming through the still open window, brought her the answer to the strange appointment at Gringotts.

 

_Dear Ms Black,_

_I would schedule our meeting for tonight at half past five, same place as last time._

_I have requested a meeting with William Weasley in your name, perhaps Gringotts already sent a letter. I apologize for impersonating you, but it is important for us to have Mr. Weasley there tonight. As it is detrimental for him to be seen with me and I cannot bring him to our meeting place, I would ask you to bring him with you._

_Kind regards,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

 

Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow. Apparently, the Sorting Hat had made a mistake with putting Dumbledore into Gryffindor house. That was another decidedly Slytherin move of him.

At least, she now knew, why she had an appointment at Gringotts but Dumbledore had not explained what they would be needing William for. Casting the Fidelius would only take her, as the secret keeper and Dumbledore, as the caster. What also confused her was, why Dumbledore thought it safe to write her but not Bill. She could not see any logic behind this but this was probably all part of one of his big plans.

Grumbling, Cassiopeia got out of her bed. If the Fidelius was to be cast tonight, she did not have much time to make the inside of the house as safe as possible. Knowing Dumbledore, the first members of his Order would be parading through the house very soon.

 

 

Cassiopeia apparated to the _Leaky Cauldron_ at three, neither wanting to use the floo, nor being able to do so, since there was no floo connection at Grimmauld place. Her father had been so paranoid about unwanted guests in his last years, he had cut off the connection completely.

The _Leaky Cauldron_ was almost empty. There was a group of wizards, chatting in a foreign language in one corner and another wizard, reading a magazine at the bar. The witch gave Tom a short nod, before leaving through the back door.

Diagon Alley, she noted as soon as the wall opened, was crowded as usual. People wearing robes in colors the Hit Witch had not known existed, were everywhere and their chatter and the hooting of owls was drowning every other noise. One barely needed to step into the alley, before being completely surrounded by people.

Cassiopeia hated this place with passion. Most of her colleagues tended to avoid places like this if possible, because their training made being there almost unbearable. Every single one of her senses was working overtime, trying to find potential threats.

Normally, she would have apparated to somewhere closer to Gringotts and not so much ahead of time, but she wanted to observe the crowds, wanted to see their reactions to the articles in the _Daily Prophet_. She wore working attire on purpose - technically a Hit Witch or Wizard was never truly off duty - and it was a legitimate excuse to hide her face underneath her hood. There were still some, who were afraid of members of the Black family and there was no need to cause panic.

Walking silently through the street, Cassiopeia watched the people do their purchasing. On many shop windows, front pages of the _Daily Prophet_ were displayed and pictures of Harry Potter and Dumbledore were staring at her from all directions. One article, that announced Dumbledore's removal as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, had her scowl. The date on the newspaper was today's, and it was announced as a decision from yesterday evening.

Cassiopeia's eyebrows shot to her hairline. How had they managed to put an article on the front page about a decision, that was finalized shortly before midnight? Even if they had made an exception for such an important decision, no one would have been able to write a front page article on such a short notice and magical newspapers didn't print themselves within seconds.

Deadline for articles was nine p.m., so it would be ready for dispatching with the owls at four a.m.. She knew that, because she had sent several articles to the _Prophet,_ on behalf of a colleague, to be published. Besides, didn't the dismissal of the Chief Warlock require the convening of the whole Wizengamot, just like the election? Why hadn't she been notified? The Black family, like most pureblood families, still held a hereditary seat and, in her brothers - forced - absence, she held it.

Making a mental note to investigate this matter further, Cassiopeia browsed through a few shops, buying some treats for Bastet and continuing her observations.

Several people had talked about the articles, an astonishing number of them agreeing with Fudge. A few whispered conversations had died down, once the Ministry employee was noticed. The Hit Witch made another mental note on those. People trying to hide things always made her curious, especially now. The list of those, willing to believe Lord Voldemort was back, was surprisingly short and every name added would be a step into the right direction.

 

 

A few minutes before four, Cassiopeia entered Gringotts. She had never liked being late, and now, body trained on observing her surroundings for potential threats, she liked to have enough time to spare to get a good look around.

The Main Hall of the bank was full of goblins. Goblins pulling around carts full of gems or gold, goblins talking in Gobbledegook and goblins leading witches and wizards to their vaults.

Thinking about vaults, Cassiopeia finally had an idea what to do with some of the cursed objects at Grimmauld Place - at least those, that were not goblin made. No one would be able to touch them or get hurt once they were in the family vault. Pity she hadn't thought about it before, now she'd have to come again. Mentally sorting through all of the items she knew about or had found already, she failed to pay sufficient attention to her surroundings and surprised herself by being startled by one William Weasley, not five feet away from her.

"Good afternoon, Ms Black. If you would follow me," the Curse Breaker greeted. Adapting herself to his formal tone, Cassiopeia gave a polite greeting and followed the redhead into a corridor. It was quite vast, dozens of doors on both sides, some were open to reveal a glimpse on a goblin scribbling on a paper or examining a strange object but most were closed.

The Hit Witch noted, that none of the doors had name signs. There were only numbers. One would have to know the office number of a person, to be able to find their office. Annoying for customers in search of someone specific, but a great way to thwart potential danger.

There were absolutely no windows in sight. The only source of light were three chandeliers hanging at the ceiling. Cassiopeia estimated the ceiling was almost as high as in the Main Hall. Seeming endlessly long and so very high, while being narrow at the sides, the corridor made the hairs on the back of the witch's neck rise.

"Here we are. Just straight through the office to the next door," Bill said, holding a dark, wooden door open for her. Office 28B, the witch noted. Thanking him with a small nod, Cassiopeia walked into the open plan office.

About a fifteen desks were in the room, but not even half as much humans. Most of them were immersed in parchments. It kind of reminded the witch of her own office at the Ministry, especially the piles of what was obviously paperwork.

A dark haired wizard looked up from his writing and gave Cassiopeia a quizzical look. A bit belated, she noticed she was still wearing her hood. Good thing William already knew her and her occupation, otherwise he might have spent some time looking for her.

The room behind the open plan office held a round, wooden table, with a couple of chairs sporadically around it. It was, apparently, used as a conference room.

Cassiopeia took her time to admire the woodwork on the walls. Even though goblins were usually known for their silver-work, they had a good eye for decorative woodwork. The backrests of the chairs also held intricate carvings, the witch noticed when she pulled one back to sit down on.

"I must say, I was surprised, when I was informed about our meeting," Bill said, as he sat down on the chair next to her. "I am afraid, I do not know why you requested to meet me, so I came completely unprepared."

Cassiopeia involuntarily smiled at his formal tone. Had this been an interrogation, she would have said the suspect was feeling insecure. A great starting point for getting information out of him.

"Don't worry, William. I was just as surprised when I got a letter from Gringotts this morning, confirming an appointment I never asked for."

Bills eyebrows scrunched. "What do you mean, you never asked for...?"

"Apparently, I am your means of transportation. At least, that is what the letter Dumbledore sent me said. The old man was not very specific otherwise," Cassiopeia explained with a shrug. To be honest, it kind of annoyed her to be reduced to a common pack animal but - damn her curiosity and the Slytherin determination to satisfy it - she wanted to know what Dumbledore planned.

Now, Bill looked even more confused, not that Cassiopeia could resent him that.

"You lost me. Why would Dumbledore request a meeting, in your name, so you could bring me somewhere? Why not simply tell me when to be where? How could he even be sure I have time?"

"Well, apparently, it is bad to be seen with him or be seen corresponding with him at the moment. Don't ask me, why he thinks my reputation does not matter... Did you read, they dismissed him as Chief Warlock, yesterday? I truly wonder how Fudge managed that. Well, I am not even sure what he did was legal. Anyway, the reason why I have to pick you up is simple. You can't get there otherwise... Where did you get that?" Cassiopeia asked, nodding at the fang earring Bill was playing with.

"The earring? I got that one in Egypt. Mum was not pleased when she saw it. Not that she was very pleased with my hair, either..," Bill started his explanation. "We were in a tomb of an ancient wizard. Merlin, he knew about curses, you can believe me. The wards he placed before his death were amazing. Anyway, it was one of my first tombs. I was inside with two other Curse Breakers and we had just managed to open the door to another room. The room wasn't too big, but it was cursed to cancel _lumos_ and any similar spell. Of course, we didn't notice this particular curse when we entered it, so we were in the dark."

Bill made a short dramatic pause: "So, when we were trying to get back out - mind you, there was absolutely no light, not even from the outside - we used our hands to feel for the wall. Not the brightest idea, but we did it. Well, and the first thing I found, was a snake, an Egyptian cobra. I was lucky, I grabbed it right behind the head. One bite and I would have been dead within minutes."

"It wouldn't have bitten you," Cassiopeia teased. "Every good snake knows: A dead lion is a boring lion. And we hate boring, your recklessness is far more entertaining."

At this, Bill had to laugh. "Well, Good to know we Gryffindors provide the entertainment for you Slytherins."

"Everybody has to be of some use," the witch answered with a shrug, but could barely hold back her giggles.

"Back to the story. We kept the dead snake as a trophy and my colleagues gave me the earring as a birthday present. They put a lot of spell-work in it. There are even runes engraved, to ward of bad luck, see?"

He carefully handed her the earring and pointed at tiny markings all around it. Cassiopeia studied the runes for a moment, trying to see if she could translate any of them. The last time she had been brooding over rune translations had been during her N.E.W.T.s. and she was curious, if she could still remember some. Most of the symbols did indeed look familiar but she could not figure out the whole meaning behind them. Maybe a refresher course was in order - should she ever find the time to spare.

"Should I be worried, if you like to keep dead snakes as trophies?" the witch asked, handing the fang back.

"No need. Every lion knows: You need to kill the bad snakes, but not all snakes, otherwise, there is no one interesting to beat at Quidditch."

"Touché."

They lapsed into silence, while Bill tried to put his earring back where it belonged.

"Well, that still leaves us with this mysterious meeting with Dumbledore," he said, after he had finally managed it.

"He said, he will be there at half past five. That leaves us with..." Cassiopeia checked her watch. "Ninety-five minutes. Getting there won't take us long. I'll just take you Side-along, right onto the doorstep."

"And what does he need me for?"

"I have no idea."

 

 

"Home, sweet home," Cassiopeia said, when she and Bill landed on the doorstep of Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

They had spent the last hour and a half swapping stories about Hogwarts and the times, they were called into the headmasters office. Since both of them had been Head Boy and Girl, there had been plenty such occasions. The old wizards peculiar behavior had them giggle like little school girls sometimes and, when Bill went to grab his things, his colleagues had given him inquisitive looks. Cassiopeia just hoped they hadn't heard anything, otherwise the rumors about Black madness would increase tenfold.

Yes, she had been involved in a couple of questionable pranks that nobody ever figured out she was to blame for. Well, technically they had been Charlie's idea and she had only been roped into helping him. She had never complained, though, since this was the best way to be informed about what places to avoid at what time. It also made sure, she could keep the Gryffindor out of trouble, given that his planning tended to be a bit sketchy. Maybe - and she was admitting to nothing - she had blamed one of the pranks on a fellow Slytherin, that had made an insulting comment about the Weasley family. Maybe it had gotten him detention for a month. Maybe she had gloated about that a bit in the Slytherin common room and, maybe, most of the snakes had joined her.

Opening the door, the witch warned the Curse Breaker: "Be careful where you step and don't touch anything. And, please, don't scream, if you see the other inhabitants."

It was the first time she remembered Sirius being there as well. Cassiopeia was not sure if Bill knew about her brother being innocent. That was a potential problem she had no plans for.

"Why, hiding your brother?" Bill teased her, but sobered up when she only closed the door behind them, not looking at him. "You are honestly hiding your brother here? We had wondered where he went, when he left the Hospital Wing after the Third Task but hiding right under the _DMLE_ 's nose? That's what I call courage."

Cassiopeia whirled around. "How do you know Sirius was at the Hospital Wing that day?" she asked.

"Dumbledore asked him to turn back to his human form, shortly after you left. It nearly gave Mum a heart attack - at least that is what the twins and Ron told me. I left before that, to warn Dad, since he wasn't there. Ron told me the whole story of how they met your brother in their third year and about Scabbers being Peter Pettigrew in his animagus form. I know your brother is innocent and only escaped to protect Harry."

The witch threw her cloak into the general direction of a coat rack, which leaped forward to catch it. The coat rack was one of the few bewitched objects in the house that she truly liked.

"Why am I always the last person to be told about important things?" she grumbled. "Snuffles? Where are you? We have a guest!"

 _"Filthy blood traitor! You have no place in my house!"_ The curtains of the portrait had flown open and the slightly yellow face of Walburga Black stared at the two. Morgana, she had forgotten about the portrait.

"Good evening to you, too, mother!" Cassiopeia drawled, mortified by her mother's behavior but doing her best to hide any visible signs.

_"How dare you bring such filth into my house? First that murderer and now a blood traitor. Have you no respect for your noble blood? You should be - "_

"If I remember correctly, the house belongs to Sirius, did so ever since father died. As long as he is officially convicted, I am responsible for it, so it is _my_ house. And now shut up!"

Waving her wand, she forced the curtains back over the portrait.

"Once I find a way around that permanent sticking charm she put on the portrait, I will throw her out," she vowed, glaring at the curtains.

"And I will gladly help you. I could hear her screeching all the way up to the third floor," Sirius added from the stairs.

The last two days, that Cassiopeia had spent searching for potentially dangerous objects, she had forced Sirius to spent cleaning himself up. He still looked far too thin, but the few good meals he had gotten, made him seem less starved. The tangled curls, that had reached his elbows, had been cut back to chin-length and his beard was trimmed. At least he looked like a human being again.

"My eardrums still ring," Cassiopeia complained, rubbing her ears. "Next time, you get to stand right next to her when she starts."

Next to Cassiopeia, Bill curiously studied the escaped convict.

"Ah, introductions, right. Sirius, William Weasley. You saw him in the Hospital Wing. William, my brother Sirius. Be careful, I've heard he used to be even more of a prankster than your twin brothers."

Bill, ever the Gryffindor, did not shy away from shaking the hand of someone he had believed to be a mass murderer not a month ago. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black. Ron told me a lot about you. And, it's just Bill. I don't know why Cassiopeia insists on calling me William."

Sirius smiled. "Probably because you call her Cassiopeia. No Black likes to be called by their first name. Andromeda prefers Andy, Narcissa is just Cissy, Bellatrix is Bella, Regulus was Reg -"

"Don't forget Nymphadora, Andy's daughter. She prefers her last name, Tonks," Cassiopeia interrupted him.

"Does she now? I haven't seen her since she was a baby... well, I am Padfoot -"

"Snuffles!"

"Or Snuffles," Sirius amended. "I should never have turned into a dog in front of you, while you were still a child. I should have known a Slytherin like you would use it against me one day. That's what you get for looking after your younger sibling. Anyway, we call Cassiopeia Peia."

"Peia?"

"Well, since our great-aunt was also called Cassiopeia, Cassie was already taken," Sirius continued his explanation. "There would have been too much confusion at Sunday lunch if there were two witches with the same nickname."

"So you will call me Bill, if I call you Peia?" Bill asked the witch curious.

Cassiopeia pretended to think about it. "I may agree to that proposal."

The ringing of the doorbell woke Walburga Black up _again_ and Cassiopeia and Sirius groaned simultaneously.

"You show Bill to the kitchen, I handle the door and mother," Cassiopeia said, already reaching for the door handle.

As expected, Albus Dumbledore stood there, one eyebrow raised at the racked inside the house.

"Please excuse my mother. I have yet to find a way to get rid of her. Come on in." Cassiopeia stepped aside and held the door open, just long enough for Dumbledore to enter, before shutting up her mother's portrait again.

"Walburga Black always did have a, ... well..., noticeable voice," the old wizard said, eyeing the curtains, that were now hiding the portrait.

"Noticeable is very polite. Shrill is what I would call it. Terrible. Caused me more than one headache - but I digress. Bill and Sirius are waiting in the kitchen, Headmaster."

"Excellent, excellent. Everybody is here already. I hope I didn't cause you too much inconvenience with picking up William?"

He did not seem apologetic at all, rather, there was an subliminal curiosity about something Cassiopeia could not grasp. Her eyebrows narrowed as she studied the old wizard, trying to figure him out and failing. "No, no. The trip to Diagon Alley was very informative. This way, please."

Cassiopeia led Dumbledore into the kitchen, where the other two wizards had already sat down. "Should I asked the house-elf for anything? Tea? Sandwiches?"

"I would take some tea," Dumbledore said, sitting down next to Sirius.

"Kreacher!"

The house-elf arrived with a small _pop_. "The young Mistress called for Kreacher?"

"Bring us some tea and sandwiches!" Cassiopeia ordered, glad to notice he was wearing a clean towel today. Despite his fits about her throwing away her parents' belongings, the house-elf had started cleaning the house again. At least, the dust was gone now in her and Sirius' rooms. There was still dust and some creatures, hidden behind curtains or in drawers in the other rooms, though. The witch supposed she would have to get rid of those herself. Kreacher was far too old to do this.

Kreacher obeyed instantly and it didn't take long for the tea and sandwiches to arrive. Cassiopeia stared pointedly a her brother, until he took one of the sandwiches.

"Very good. I assume you wonder why you are here, William?" Dumbledore asked, watching Sirius chew over his half-moon spectacles.

Bill nodded.

"Sirius and the young Ms Black were friendly enough to offer this house as Headquarter for the Order."

 _Offer? I certainly did not offer,_ Cassiopeia thought grumpily. _It was the only way not to compromise the security._

Dumbledore continued, oblivious to the witch's thoughts. "I was told the wards on the house are some of the strongest on the Isles. I remember Orion Black having a talent for protective wards but I would like you to check on them none the less. We will put the house under a Fidelius as well, so we can be sure nobody will find us here."

"The wards are in perfect working condition," Cassiopeia interjected, affronted. "I may not be a Curse Breaker but I know enough about wards. If you want him to check on anything in or around the house, have him search it for cursed objects. Some of the rooms here are death traps for anyone, that did not grow up in a dark household."

"Especially upstairs. Did you notice the grandfather clock throws metal objects at anyone passing by?" Sirius said, exposing a bloody scratch near his hairline.

His sister got up from her chair, examining the wound before healing it with a flicker of her wand. Healing spells were an annoying necessity in her job. Whether one got hit by a spell or broke a bone trying to avoid one, injuries happened on a daily base. Cassiopeia never really got the hang of most of them, but she knew enough to keep a patient stabile until they got him to St. Mungo's.

"It throws things?" Cassiopeia asked astonished. She did not remember that and, since she had not passed the clock during the last days, had not been subjected to the peculiar behavior. "Well, the next thing that gets thrown will be the clock itself. I never liked it. Did you see the carvings near the bottom? Absolutely disgusting!"

"There are cursed objects in the house?" Bill asked, looking at the Black siblings. "Is it safe to be used as Headquarter?

"As long as nobody touches anything, it is quite safe. I have started looking for those items, since the decision to use this house as headquarters was made. I will relocate most of them to the family vault in Gringotts. They can't hurt anybody there," Cassiopeia explained about the decision she had made earlier.

Bill nodded, relieved. "Perhaps you should let me have a look at the items before you move them. Transporting cursed objects can be difficult," he offered.

The witch smiled thankfully at him. She had worried about how to get them safely to Gringotts. Some of the curses interfered with each other if put into close proximity. It would also cause problems in the vault, if not all of the items were places with the uttermost care.

"A point we should return to later, but we need to move back to the important tasks at hand. The Fidelius and the wards," Dumbledore steered the conversation back to the original topic. "I believe that your father's wards are flawless but I would like William to check none the less. Perhaps there is a new ward, that has not been added yet."

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes, but waved her hands at Bill, permitting him to start. The sooner they got over with this, the better.

It was interesting to watch the Curse Breaker work. For a moment, he simply sat there, eyes closed, seemingly doing nothing. The Hit Witch had observed similar behavior in colleagues, who had a hand for dismantling wards during their 'hunts'. He was feeling for the magical signature of the wards. Once he found them, he could begin to feel along the separate strands and examine them.

After a while, Bill's eyebrows furrowed and he gripped his wand more tightly. "There is a strange ward around the house. I have never seen anything like that. Touching it feels strange, as if it was supposed to hurt, but doesn't quite do the job."

Dumbledore and Sirius looked at each other worriedly, while Cassiopeia tried to remember everything her father had told her about the wards. "I think there are blood wards in there. Quite a dark and nasty piece of magic. Anybody who's not a Black and comes close to the ward will experience unbearable pain. At least, if their intentions towards the family or the house are bad. I guess, since you are a distant relative, it just warns you not to remove it."

"Blood wards. I've heard of them. Not really legal, are they?" Bill asked.

Cassiopeia shrugged. "Who cares? The Ministry doesn't even know about the existence of the house, so how should they know about the wards?"

"Ah, yes, I noticed. Unplottable, Muggle-repelling charms, anti-Portkey and anti-Apparition wards, blocked floo connection. Your father was very thorough with his warding. And there are quite a few nasty ones hidden underneath."

"So the wards are alright?" Dumbledore asked.

"Strong, effective and quite mean," Bill confirmed. "This is one of the safest buildings I have ever seen. If you put it under a Fidelius, it will be almost impenetrable."

"Good, very good. It eases my mind to know the Order has a safe place to retreat to. If you would like, we can place the Fidelius now, Ms Black."

Cassiopeia took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, let's start."

They went outside, since the charm could not be placed, if they were in the place that would be hidden afterwards. The small park across the street, in which Cassiopeia had played with a transformed Sirius as a child, was a good spot. It was deserted and nobody could see what was going on from the outside.

The feeling of the charm itself was unlike any Cassiopeia had ever experienced. At first, she felt only the power of Dumbledore's magic, but soon, something heavy seemed to be pressed into her body, making it hard to breath. It anchored itself deep inside her soul, feeling both alien and familiar. The witch gasped for air when the pressure finally vanished.

"Did it work?" she asked. "What's the address of the Black family home?"

Sirius looked at her, blinking slowly. "It's..., it's... I don't remember."

Cassiopeia sighed, relieved. Conjuring a piece of parchment and a quill, she quickly wrote down the address for the others to read.

_The ancestral home of the Black family and the Headquarter of the Order of the Phoenix is at Number 12, Grimmauld Place_


	7. A whole lot of cursed stuff

The next day, a Saturday, Bill returned to Grimmauld Place, as he had promised the day before, when he left. There were too many dark objects in the house, Cassiopeia was not sure how to handle correctly. The curses she usually dealt with were flying through the air and, once you avoided them, you did not have to care about them any longer.

The handling of a cursed object was so much different. You needed to know what kind of curse the object contained, preferably how long the curse was contained already and how to counter the curse. Once you figured all of this out, you could try to lift the curse or, if that was not possible, try to transport it somewhere safe. This was, what Curse Breakers specialized in and the knowledge that his parents would spent time in the house during meetings, gave Bill enough reason to spent his free time working on the house.

"I just have to be back for dinner. Mum is so happy all of her children are in the country, she is cocking big," Bill told her, when he arrived.

"Charlie's back in England?" Cassiopeia asked, surprised. "I thought he was still in Romania. He didn't write about coming back."

"He came home yesterday evening. Dad wrote him about what happened and Charlie wants to see what he can do to help. He was lucky to get a long-distance Portkey so quickly. Usually, it takes ages until they are approved, so Charlie rarely visits."

The witch steered Bill into the kitchen, far away from the portrait of her mother. She didn't want to deal with her screeching again and the longer they stayed in the entrance hall, the bigger the risk of waking her up. "Tell him to write me an owl, if he needs a Portkey again. I know someone in _Transportation_ , who can speed up the process a bit. Do you think Charlie will join the Order?"

Bill nodded. "Yes, there is no question about that. No Weasley will bow to a Dark Lord without a fight. I didn't even have to think about it for a minute. The day after the Third Task, I applied for a desk job in England. The goblins were not too happy about it but I wanted to be closer to the family. They were fast with getting me a desk job, though. Not two days after I applied, I go a letter, telling me to hand over my last excavation to a colleague and the details of my new job. Charlie will probably stay in Romania. There are no dragon sanctuaries here and I doubt that he will give up on his dragons."

"That would not be the Charlie I know. He loves his dragons too much to do that. How long will he stay here?" the witch asked, picking up the cup of tea she had been drinking prior to Bill's arrival. It was her whole breakfast, so she could at least drink up.

"Only for a week. He couldn't take off more time."

"Pity, I would have liked to meet him again but I have to work," Cassiopeia said, shaking her head sadly.

Hanging out with Charlie had always been fun. They had bickered about Quidditch endlessly. But, most of all, Cassiopeia had liked the stories about his family, his parents, his younger siblings. There was so much love and happiness in them, the witch could forget about her own, dysfunctional family for a moment. If she ever had a family of her own, she wanted it to be like the Weasleys.

"You could come with me tonight. Mum would be delighted to have another person to spoil with her cooking," Bill suggested with a smile. "Charlie and the rest of the lot would surely love to have you around. I think Ron and Ginny were nowhere near finished pestering you with questions. Ron seemed to be terribly interested in your profession."

"I can't simply arrive, uninvited and unannounced! That would be terribly impolite," Cassiopeia protested. "Besides, I can't leave my brother alone."

"I just invited you and I can notify my mother in a minute. Charlie would be happy to see you. Besides, you could use the chance and tell my parents the location of the Headquarter. It would even save you a trip, later and I'm sure Sirius is old enough to be left alone for one evening."

Cassiopeia sighed. His arguments were solid and she had not seen Charlie in a while. To be more precise, she had not seen him since she graduated. She knew he had been at the Quidditch World Cup Finale but had not managed to talk to him. The arrival of the Death Eaters had thwarted her plans of meeting him after the game had finished. "Fine, I'll talk to Sirius."

Gulping down the rest of her lukewarm tea, she asked: "Where do you want to start? With the items I already found and removed, or searching for new ones on the ground floor?"

Bill looked around, indecisively. "Are the ones you found stored away safely?"

Cassiopeia looked at him, innocently. "They are upstairs in my bedroom?" At Bill's incredulous look she added: "It's the only place, in the whole house, I can be sure Kreacher won't try to steal them back. If he tries, Bastet will scratch him. I don't know how she does it but every time he shows up in my room, she enters not a second later."

The Curse Breaker shook his head and Cassiopeia got the feeling he did not agree with her argumentation at all. "Alright. I will start with the ones you already found. You can't go on keeping them in your bedroom, without the necessary precautions. Who is Bastet, by the way?"

"My cat. Perhaps you'll see her around."

Bill smiled at her. "Bastet. Egyptian goddess of cats and protection, amongst other things. A big name for a cat."

"Don't say that in her presence, she is easily offended," Cassiopeia warned him, before she showed the Curse Breaker the way to her room on the second floor. She could see him eye the heads off the former Black house-elves next to the stairs warily.

"We've got to thank one of my great-aunts for that particular tradition. Once I've figured out how to get rid of them, I will throw them out," she explained. Somehow, she felt the need to distance herself from the brutality of her family, that seemed to disgust the Curse Breaker. "First door on the right is my room. They are in the boxes on top of the desk. I will be there shortly. Oh, and ignore the mirrors."

 

 

The search for her brother led Cassiopeia to the garden, where Sirius was feeding Buckbeak. The hippogriff greedily snatched the dead animals that were offered. When she got closer, Cassiopeia noticed the unhappy look on the Animagus' face.

"What's the matter?" she asked him, giving the hippogriff a respectful bow, waiting until he bowed too, before going closer. There was no need to make Buckbeak fear for his food, since it was definitely not on the list of Cassiopeia's favorite dishes.

"It's full moon tonight. Moony will be alone," Sirius explained, throwing another furry something for the hippogriff to catch.

The Hit Witch had to smile. Perhaps there was no need to worry about leaving her brother alone.

"Why don't you go to him and join him for a midnight run?" Cassiopeia suggested. "Then he doesn't have to be alone."

Sirius shrugged sadly. "Dumbledore says it's not safe for me to be outside. Thanks to that rat, Voldemort knows about my animagus form, so my disguise is useless."

"No wizard in their right mind would go near a werewolf during full moon. Besides, you've got a wand now. You can defend yourself. I've heard you used to be quite good at dueling. And, why don't you take him to the lodge? You remember the families hunting lodge Grandfather used to talk about? Miles of forest around in any direction. It might be a bit dirty, since it hasn't been in use for more than a century..."

Sirius grabbed her shoulders and shook her happily. "You are a genius. I can apparate us there, and Moony won't have to worry about biting someone without the Wolfsbane."

"See, there is always a solution. You just have to ask a Slytherin. Once he turns back, bring Remus here. There is enough room for him to live here, as well and it is safer than anywhere else."

_Plus he can keep you from doing stupid things while I am at work_ , the Hit Witch silently added. _Professor McGonagall always said he was the most reasonable of you all._

"You wouldn't mind having a werewolf around?"

Cassiopeia shook her head fondly. "He is your friend and, as far as I remember from my DADA classes, werewolves are only dangerous during the full moon. He can use the lodge, during that time. I don't see a problem."

"You are the best sister in the world," Sirius exclaimed, hugging her tight.

Cassiopeia had expected her brother to express a need to leave the house, sooner or later. After being confined to a cell in Askaban for so long, he needed to spent time outside, needed the fresh air and the plants. The garden helped somewhat. Sirius always seemed happier after he had been outside to visit Buckbeak.

The witch wasn't as worried as Dumbledore for her brother. Safety had to be a top priority, yes, but, as long as he stayed away from crowded places, why shouldn't he be allowed to enjoy the nature for a while? It wasn't as if the Death Eaters main concern was hunting down every single shaggy, black dog. Should someone truly recognize him, there were ways to escape.

She also knew, she could trust Sirius to come back to Grimmauld Place, so she wouldn't have to go looking for him again. By allowing Remus Lupin to live in the house as well, she had made sure of that.

"Here, take this," Cassiopeia said, taking a bracelet from her wrist and handing it to her brother. "It's a Portkey. It will take you directly to my flat once you activate it. Just in case. It's better than apparating anywhere near here. We don't need Death Eaters loitering around the street."

Sirius took the silver bracelet warily. "This looks far to girly for me to wear," he complained. "But thank you. I might just try this out. Find out what my sister's flat looks like and what she is hiding from her brother."

"Sirius!" Cassiopeia scolded, laughing. She did not fear her brother searching her flat. He would not find anything interesting in there. She rarely spent time at that place anyway, only going there to sleep and eat, having let the job dictate her life for the last five years. Thus, her social life was nonexistent. "I said emergency use! I _will_ know if you enter my flat."

"You're no fun, sister," the wizard pouted.

"You brash lions just don't understand the sophisticated humor of a snake. Here, so you can take Remus back home. Burn it, once he read it."

The witch handed her brother a note with the address, so that the werewolf would be able to enter the house once the full moon was over. Sirius gave his sister another hug, before running off to find Remus Lupin and take him to the hunting lodge.

Cassiopeia was left in the garden to stare after him. After living under the same roof for just three days, she had learned, that her brother was sometimes little more than a child in a grownup's body. Perhaps joking around was his way to keep thought about Askaban far away. If it worked, Cassiopeia was willing to endure some pranks and bad jokes.

The only time he actually behaved like the responsible adult he should be, was when he talked about Harry. Making sure the boy had a better childhood than he had and, mostly, keeping him safe were more important to him than proofing his innocence.

Buckbeak nudging her shoulder, requesting more food, made her focus again. The witch gave the dead animals in a sack a disgusted look and decided to levitate them, instead of touching. The smell was simply revolting and there was no chance she got any nearer to the dead ferrets than strictly necessary.

After she finished feeding the hippogriff, Cassiopeia hurried upstairs, back to her room and Bill, wondering if everything was still intact or if the Curse Breaker had somehow managed to set off one of the curses. He may be trained to handle such things but the Black family had always been good for a nasty hidden surprise, so one could never be sure.

 

 

Inside the bedroom, the redhead was leaning over her desk, poking at an item inside a box with his wand, a concentrated look on his face. Bastet was sitting in between the boxes, watching the wizard carefully.

"Ah, I see you met Bastet already. What are you looking at?" Cassiopeia asked the Curse Breaker, before going around him, to get a closer look at what he was doing. Leaning over his shoulder was out of question, since he was so much taller than her. Her size had annoyed the witch all of her live. She was the smallest of all Blacks and her five feet three were towered above by almost everyone else as well. It did make ducking and hiding behind things easier though and that was a big advantage during duels.

"This snuff box has sunk its teeth into that book. I am trying to separate them, preferably without touching whatever this white substance is," Bill said, never taking his eyes off the box. It jostled slightly when he moved his wand.

"Ah, the silver snuff box. It belonged to my grandfather, as far as I know. The powder is wartcap powder, annoying, but not deadly." Cassiopeia began petting the cat as she watched the Curse Breaker work. Bastet purred and nudged the witch's hand, whenever her owner's attention seemed to stray.

"A snuff box full of wartcap powder. What in Merlin's name do you need that for?" Bill wondered, before his face went pale. "Wait, on second thought, don't tell me, I don't even want to know."

Cassiopeia laughed. "The snuff box is quite harmless, actually. The music box is horrible. It's charmed to make you fall asleep. Great if the children are too stubborn to go to bed but if no one closes it, they will sleep forever."

She had only ever heard the box play once, when she had curiously opened it as a four year old child. Her father had found her and managed to shut it before succumbing to sleep himself and since that day, it had been kept in a locked drawer in her parents' bedroom.

The Curse Breaker had finally manages to separate the book and the snuffbox, though, by the looks of it, the book had not escaped unscathed. There were bits of paper flying around and the cover of the book started to look like bark, bit by bit.

"Interesting reaction. I was not aware wartcap powder could do that inanimate objects," Bill wondered, before closing the box. "What else do we have here?"

"There is a ring somewhere in that box over there. Gold with a big sapphire. It eats your flesh, if you put it on. I think a scorned wizard sent that to one of my great-aunts, a long time ago. She was terribly vain and loved expensive jewelry. Of course, she put the ring on the minute she received it. Her hand never looked the same afterwards."

Bill stared at her incredulously. "A flesh eating ring? Am I happy Mum and Dad don't have such things at the house. With so many children around, especially the twins, there would have been a lot of injuries."

Cassiopeia shrugged, "You learn to be very careful. Not all of my paranoia stems from my job. As a small child, I was once almost strangled by a set of robes, in a closet in one of the guestrooms. Experience is a brutal teacher."

She absentmindedly rubbed her neck. There was still a faint scar, where a clasp had cut her that day.

_"She was not so pretty anymore, when one of her hands was nothing but bones."_

_"Shut up. The poor thing was devastated afterwards. It is not nice to make fun of her."_

_"Well, she did spent less time in front of us. I found it particularly annoying, when she put that cloth over us. I could not see anything for years!"_

"What is that?" Bill asked the Hit Witch, looking around the room.

"That are the mirrors I warned you about. That over there is left, the other one is right. Don't ask me why left is right and right is left, I did not name them. They've been in the family for decades. The oldest female child with the name Black gets them as a gift for her tenth birthday. Left is a bit mean sometimes and right has a soft heart," Cassiopeia started to explain.

_"I am not mean! I simply state the truth! And you should tame that chaos you call hair, before you speak to me!"_

_"You look beautiful, like always, young lady. Ignore left. He has no taste."_

Bill looked from one mirror to the other. "And I thought the talking mirror at our home was trying. How can you stand having those in your room?"

"You get used to it. If their squabbling gets too annoying, I silence them. They are actually some of the bewitched items I like in this house. They can be insulting but there is no physical damage involved. Like, for example, take the meerschaum pipe? It's in the blue box over there," the witch said, indicating at an ornate pipe with her wand. You could see it had not been smoked very often, since it had not started changing its color.

"Try smoking that and it will burn all the hair off your head."

_"It would have been a great look on him! We were still hanging in the drawing room back then and he -"_

"Left, shut up before I make you! Anyway, the pipe was given to Phineas Nigellus anonymously, after he expelled a pureblood child from Hogwarts because it had seriously hurt another student on purpose. He never smoked it, though, because he noticed the curse. I have no idea why it was kept, perhaps as evidence, should the family try again... Anyway, is there something I can help you with, or should I start looking for new items on the ground floor?"

Bill surveyed the boxes around him for a moment. "I am almost done here. You sorted the boxes quite well. Now that I separated the book and the snuff box, none of the curses should interact. I just need to place some protective wards to keep them save, until we can bring them to Gringotts. Oh, and by the way, Mum is looking forward to seeing you this evening."

_"You are going out this evening? Oh, you need to wear a pretty dress. How about a dark green or perhaps midnight blue... yes blue it is -"_

"Right, please, not now," the witch said, raising an eyebrow at the Curse Breaker. "You notified her without truly knowing if I could come with you?"

The wizard gave her a lopsided grin. "I was sure you would."

Shaking her head at his confidence, Cassiopeia silently waited for Bill to finish. Knowing the curses on the objects were contained would make sleeping in the room tonight far easier. If it weren't for Kreacher, she would have stored the objects in another room, but her own room was the only place she could be sure the house-elf would never remove any object from.

 

 

On the ground floor, Cassiopeia immediately asked Bill to take a look at the permanent sticking charm that held her mother's portrait in place. The Curse Breaker spent ten minutes, checking on the charm. To her chagrin, he deemed it to be exactly what it said - permanent.

Well, the door to the ground floor living room had always been small. Perhaps it was time to remove a piece of wall and create a new door? Knowing her mother, she had probably found a way to make the wand a permanent fixture of the house, too. Trying couldn't hurt though - unless it made the house collapse on top of her. Perhaps she should wait for someone with actual skills at do-it-yourself or knowledge of spells that could keep the house up - even if it was missing a supporting wall.

The kitchen, being almost solely Kreacher's territory, was free of any dangers. Even Walburga Black would never have risked her meals by placing cursed items there. Acquiring a new house-elf was often an annoying procedure and having one, that was angry at you, was dangerous. You could trust those annoying creatures to find loop-holes in every order you gave, just like Kreacher did with Sirius.

Thankfully, that left them with only the entrance hall, the corridor, the ground floor living room and the dining room.

The entrance hall had few places where anything could be stored, as did the corridor. In the dining room, there were also no dangerous objects but there were a lot of spiders living in various pieces of furniture. Cassiopeia decided to ignore the room for now. The spiders were not dangerous, so they could be dealt with sometime else.

The living room, on the other hand was quite vast and held more than a few suspicious objects, although - or, perhaps because - it was being only used to entertain guests. The family had always spent their time in the drawing room on the first floor.

The room was kept in surprisingly light colors, beige and silver being prominent amongst them. Compared to the other rooms of the house, it was quite cheerful. Her father had once told her, it was done this way to make important guests feel comfortable. You could not choose a Minister's or Head of Department's blood-status but contacts needed to be well cultivated. Pretending to be not as dark as the family was, helped to gain the favor of light witches and wizards.

 

 

Searching for any dangerous items was the easy part. Bill, with his experience with ancient tombs in Egypt, had little trouble finding curses. Cassiopeia had a bit more trouble but her familiarity with the magic of the house helped. She could feel the darkness of the curses, even above the general darkness of the house. Where , the Curse Breaker simply stood in the middle of the room, locating for the curses from there, Cassiopeia had to walk through the room and investigate everything piece by piece.

Some of the items that they could not find through their magical signature, gave themselves away, mostly by moving unnaturally. Cassiopeia was quite sure sugar tongs were not supposed to jump, once someone got near them. Though, trying to put sugar in your tea with them could be entertaining. It looked like something her great-aunt Cassiopeia, the woman she was named after, had owned.

The search in total did not take more than two hours, but removing and, in some cases, catching the items occupied them the whole day. Especially the sugar tongs had kept them running around, trying to corner them, since a simple _accio_ did not work. The Hit Witch had silently cursed whatever relative had been the one to create that little menace.

All the while, Bill told stories about his adventures in Egypt, about treasures he found and curses he had to break and Cassiopeia listened attentively. The last, and only, time she had truly been out of the country had been during her training, somewhere in the rain forest in South America. Bill's detailed descriptions of desert sunrises, the dry heat, the smell of spices on a bazaar and the people fascinated her.

Once or twice, Bill had asked questions about her job as well, but she could not tell him too much. Most of her work was confidential. The names and crimes of those she had hunted were widely known, but often the circumstances of their arrest were to remain secret. The only things she could tell him about were paperwork and the injuries she had sustained during her work.

Fortunately, the number of those wasn't too big. A couple of broken bones the healers had mended within seconds, the spell, that had knocked her trough a wall and two really nasty curses that had kept her in St. Mungo's for a while.

The remnants of the spell she had gotten hit with after her wand was damaged while she flew through the wall still bugged her sometimes. The wound above her left hip had not fully healed yet and pain shot through it in irregular intervals. The healers had suggested she should take some time off, until it was fully healed, but since they could not tell her how long that would take - they weren't even sure what she had been hit with - she had declined.

The time flew while they were working, stopping only for a couple of sandwiches for lunch. About half past five, Bill ushered Cassiopeia, who was still wondering how it had gotten that late so quickly, out of the door and apparated them to the Burrow.


	8. Nine redheads and a Black

Cassiopeia had never been to the Weasleys' home before. Charlie had described the building to her once, when he had talked about flying during the summer holidays, but nothing came even close to seeing the house.

The magic, that held up the crooked building, had to be powerful and the caster very talented. Despite its, in Cassiopeia's opinion, strange architecture, it gave off a feeling of welcome, something every other magical household she had visited had lacked.

The Hit Witch had not visited many magical households in her life. Her Uncle Cygnus' house, where her three cousins had lived and later the Lestranges' and the Malfoys' home. All of those families had been dark, wealthy and ancient - and had been proud to display it. Appearance was the most important thing in that social circle. Anybody, who had been to Malfoy Manor, had seen the blatant display of wealth and the family history through the dozens of portraits in the rooms. Crooked chimneys or walls of two floors being painted in different colors were things, that would never be seen there.

The only reason Number 12, Grimmauld Place looked the way it looked now was, that Cassiopeia had completely neglected the house after her mother's death. She had merely ordered Kreacher to keep the place up, which he, obviously, hadn't managed to do.

A chicken clucked, as it walked past them and behind a plant, two small garden gnomes watched the newcomers. Cassiopeia had only ever seen garden gnomes on pictures in her Care for Magical Creatures book and made a step towards them, to observe them more closely.

"That's just some gnomes. Don't mind them. Mum has us de-gnome the garden as punishment sometimes, but it never works. The keep coming back after an hour or so. Come on. Mum said we'll eat outside, so they will be at the back of the house," Bill said, grabbing Cassiopeia's hand and dragging her through the garden.

The witch didn't complain, since it gave her the time to look around some more, without having to watch were Bill went.

There were vast fields around the house, and Cassiopeia could imagine Charlie and his brothers flying over them, playing Quidditch with charmed apples, as he had once told her.

One of the windows on the ground floor was open and the smell of several kinds of food made its way into the witch's nose. If it tasted as good as it smelled... perhaps she could convince Kreacher to trade recipes with Mrs. Weasley?

Cooking was something Cassiopeia had never learned. It had never been necessary. Now, if she didn't eat at work, she went to one of the Muggle restaurants around the corner of her flat. Since she never had any guests, it worked. Her mother would probably have a heart attack, if she could see her only daughter having dinner amongst a dozen Muggles but the Hit Witch didn't care. As long as the food was eatable, it was alright with her.

The voices of the Weasleys could be heard before they were in sight. Apparently, something funny had happened, since she could hear Charlie's booming laughter and a girl's indignant yelling.

"Oh dear. The twins are probably testing their products again," Bill sight. "We better be careful."

"Products?" Judging by what she could see from Bill's facial expression, those 'products' were questionable, at least.

"They want to open a joke shop once they finished Hogwarts. They have been inventing items for years. Fake wands, that turn into plastic animals if you touch them, sweets, that make your tongue grow and so on. My advice, never leave your wand unattended and never, ever take anything they offer you. Family and friends are their preferred guinea pigs," the wizard explained.

"My wand is never unattended. Rule number one: always have your wand ready at hand. When I don't use it, it's in the holster," Cassiopeia reassured Bill. Those twins seemed to be real pranksters. The witch could just hope, they never met her brother. From what she had heard from the Professors at Hogwarts, he and his group of friends had been the worst pranksters in the entire school history - until the Weasley twins. If they ever planned a prank together...

The group of redheads came in sight, once they rounded the corner. Two large tables had been brought outside and Mr. Weasley and one of his sons, Percy, from what Cassiopeia remembered about him, were sitting on chairs around them, talking. Two other boys, the twins, were standing in front of a girl, Ginny. The young witch gesticulated wildly, pointing at her brothers angrily. Mrs. Weasley, Charlie and Ron were nowhere in sight.

"If you dare to touch my things ever again! You wait until we are back at Hogwarts! Then you will be on the receiving end of my wand!" Ginny shouted at her brothers, who were laughing at her.

"Bill!" Mrs. Weasley's shout from the house made everybody notice the two newcomers and Bill, walking over to his mother, finally let go of the Hit Witch's hand.

A bowl of salad, barely landing on the table, was the only warning Cassiopeia got, before she was enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

"Peia! I didn't know you would be here today!" Charlie said, spinning her around happily.

"Hello Charlie!" she managed to press out, her lungs to constricted to work properly.

"Let the girl breath!" Mrs. Weasley chastised her son, once she had let go of Bill. "It's so nice to have you here, Cassiopeia dear. I was a bit surprised when Bill told me he would bring another guest, but I am glad you are here. I really need to thank you for what you did during the Third Task. We were all so worried about Harry..."

Molly Weasley pried her son of the Hit Witch and gave her a hug of her own. "I am so happy Bill finally brought a nice witch back home. It's about time..."

Cassiopeia blinked owlishly, before giving the Curse Breaker a questioning look.

 _"Brought a nice witch back home?!"_ she mouthed at him. Bill stared back at her, mouth open, clearly as confused as her.

"Eh? Mum?" he began, but the Weasley matriarch did not give him a chance to say anything more.

"Now, don't be embarrassed, Bill. Your father and I were young too, once and your siblings are old enough to understand about love. Well, Ginny is a bit young perhaps -"

"Mum!" the girl in question protested.

"Don't worry, dear. Once you're old enough, you will find your Prince Charming, too. Of course," she turned back to Bill. "Bringing someone back home after just two weeks is a bit fast, but I remember how your father and I were. Sneaking out of the dormitory at night -"

"Mum!" This time it was Ron, who protested. "We don't want to hear about that!"

His siblings nodded enthusiastically. Bill, Cassiopeia noticed, had flushed to the roots of his hair.

"Don't mind them, Billy," his mother said, patting him on the cheek. "Once they grow up, they will notice how important romance is. A moonshine walk in the flower gardens can melt any girl's heart. Of course you treat her right, don't you? I will not have any son of mine behave like anything else than the perfect gentleman!"

Bill slightly cowered away from his mother's raised finger. If she hadn't been so embarrassed herself, Cassiopeia would have giggled at his predicament. Charlie, of course, had no such problem and snickered, stopping only after the Hit Witch hit him over the head.

"Ow!" the Dragon Tamer complained. "No need to take your job so literally!"

"Go help your brother, or I'll tell your mother about the time you snuck out of the tower and went to the lake to - hmpf -"

Charlie clasped his hand over her mouth. "Not so loud for Godric's sake! Someone might overhear you!" he hissed. "I'll go! Bloody snake!"

Grumbling, he went over to his mother and older brother.

"Don't worry too much about Mum. She'll get it, eventually," Ginny said, appearing next to her. "She is just desperate for grandchildren, since more and more of her own children leave the house every year."

"Grandchildren?" Cassiopeia echoed, feeling vaguely sick. She had turned twenty three not too long ago and children of her own were something she hadn't planned for some time yet. There were so many things that had to be done first. Discussing children, even if, or especially if the relationship they should be produced from, did not exist, was not something she was keen on.

"We'll try to keep you busy, so she can only go after Bill. He deserves it, for making his message so ambiguous," Ginny promised.

"Ambiguous?" Cassiopeia asked, looking at the girl curiously. "Why was his message ambiguous?"

"I was there when Mum got his message. I didn't know you could use a patronus to deliver messages. It said _I'll bring Cassiopeia with me for dinner - tell the twins to behave! I don't want them to scare her away_. Then he came here, holding your hand. Perhaps the fact that his patronus is a snake - a _snake_ , can you believe that? - played a part as well."

Thinking back about Bill's story about the Egyptian cobra, Cassiopeia had to laugh at the situation. "I'm afraid, I don't have anything to do with the snake patronus. The fang your brother has as an earring, belonged to an Egyptian cobra. It's kind of his good luck charm, perhaps that's why the animal he feels safest with is a snake."

Ginny laughed. "You try telling that my mother!"

"What made you think we aren't a couple?"

"Your facial expression when Mum said she was happy Bill brought a nice witch home. I think, it was the first time I saw a Slytherin with anything else than the perfectly indifferent mask. You looked like a combination between a startled rabbit and Errol, our owl, trying to land. At least you looked better than Bill. He simply looked like a stranded fish."

The two witches watched as Bill tried to talk to his Mum but she did not seem to give him a chance to explain. Charlie interjected at one occasion, pulling Bill aside and whispering something to him, before patting him on the back and going to the table.

"Why do you know how Bill got his earring?" Ginny asked after a moment.

"He told me. Why do you ask?"

The younger witch snorted. "He certainly never told us about it. When we asked, he said something vague about a birthday present and changed the topic."

Grumbling to herself, Ginny made to go back to the table, but Cassiopeia grabbed her shoulder.

"One more thing, Ginny. While it is true, that revenge is a dish best served cold, you should never postpone the cursing. Once they think they are off the hook, you strike back," Cassiopeia told the girl in a conspiratorial tone, but making sure the twins could hear her.

"But I'm not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts yet," the girl objected.

Cassiopeia snorted. Gryffindors. There were _so_ many ways around that rule. "The Ministry can't detect whether you, your parents or one of your siblings casts magic here. As long as you stay around the house, there is no risk. If you want to be extra thorough, you can use the wand of one of your older siblings, so there is no chance to trace it back. If you don't want to break any rules, you can always ask someone else to do the cursing for you. I'm sure Bill knows some nasty spells and I'm not that bad myself, if I may say so. There are some nice curses I picked up over the last few years. Quite funny - at least for the caster."

She let her wand shoot out of its holster and twirled it around. The twins eyed the wand warily, before identical grins spread over their faces. Cassiopeia smirked back. "Are you sure you want to play with a Slytherin? Some of us can be quite devious. Just ask your older brothers."

Fred and George looked at each other.

"I think -"

" - we like her. - "

"You can - "

" - keep her, Bill!"

Their speech pattern astonished Cassiopeia. They needed to be perfectly in tune with each other, to be able to complete the others' sentences.

"Not you, too!" Bill, who was by now leaning over the Hit Witch's shoulder, complained. "This way, Mum will never stop believing Peia's my girlfriend. I wonder what gave her that idea... What were you four doing, anyway?"

"I was teaching your sister the Slytherin ways. It is never too late to turn onto the right path." Cassiopeia gave Bill a short look over her shoulder, before deciding to let him stew a bit longer. She could survive being a bit embarrassed for the evening. Bill, on the other hand would have to suffer for much, much longer. That prospect held far more entertainment than simply clarifying things herself. Plus, Ginny had promised to keep Molly Weasley away from her. "Anyway, I think I know what gave her the idea."

"It's your own fault," Ginny added with a grin.

Bill looked from the Hit Witch to his sister. "What did I do?"

"Now, now, William. Why would I give away all of the good secrets?" Cassiopeia smirked at him. "I'm a Slytherin. We rarely do things out of the goodness of our hearts. And, if you'd excuse me now. I'd like to talk to Charlie."

 

 

When Cassiopeia took the seat next to the Dragon Tamer, Molly Weasley immediately shooed Ron away from the chair on her other side, forcing Bill to sit down there.

"Let your brother sit next to his girlfriend, Ron. When your father and I were younger, we liked to steal food from each others' plates and play footsies under the table."

Cassiopeia choked on the pumpkin juice she was sipping, while the Weasley children made various noises of disgust.

"Come on, Bill, give the girl some stew. She needs a bit more meet on her bones. At least, you don't have those dark circles under your eyes anymore, dear. This job of yours seems to be so exhausting and dangerous. How do you plan to do this, once you have a family? Will you quit your job? Bill could easily afford a family solely on his income."

"Huh?" was Cassiopeia's intelligent answer, while her brain was trying to process what she had just heard.

"Mum! Please, could you - "

"Molly, dear. Leave them alone for a minute. Don't you think it's a bit early for planning children?" Arthur Weasley interrupted him, patting one of his wife's hands.

"Of course. Eat, all of you! There is pie as desert."

Charlie used the time to involve Cassiopeia in a conversation about the dragons he worked with. The witch was glad for the distraction, since it saved her from further embarrassing conversations with Molly Weasley.

The Dragon Tamer showed her a burn scar on one of his arms. "That was a Norwegian Ridgeback. Her name is Norberta. Well, Hagrid named her Norbert, thinking she was a boy. She wasn't too pleased when I tried to free her of her bindings and told her to be a good boy and keep still. Good thing she was still so small, otherwise the scarring would have been much worse."

Cassiopeia traced the scar with one finger. It didn't seem to bad now but the witch knew how good the healers usually were. If there was such a big scar left, the injury must have been far worse than the Dragon Tamer let on. Perhaps he was trying to play it down, since his mother was listening in on their conversation.

"Why in Merlin's name did Hagrid have a Norwegian Ridgeback? They're not native here, are they? Did the dragon simply fall out of the sky?"

Charlie laughed. "No, I don't think I ever heard of a dragon falling out of the sky. If you want the whole story, you should ask Ron. He wrote me about the dragon. Asked me to sent someone to pick up a baby Ridgeback. I didn't believe my eyes when I read the letter."

"I think I will ask Ron about that -"

"Some more mashed potatoes?" Bill offered, leaning over to Cassiopeia.

"Of course," she said, taking the bowl from him. "By the way, your behavior gives your mother all the more reason to believe we are a couple."

"If I don't behave like the perfect gentleman, my mother will curse me six ways to Sunday."

Cassiopeia peered at Molly Weasley, who was indeed studying her eldest sons every move with hawk eyes. She thought for a moment, before deciding to annoy Bill a bit. "So, whatever I do, you will be perfectly polite?" she asked, before stealing a piece of carrot from Bill's plate.

"Even now?" she asked, munching happily on the vegetable. Carrots had always been her favorites. Mrs. Weasley, she noted, was watching her antics happily.

Bill's only reaction was to collect all of the carrots on his plate and put them on one side. "Here, you can have all of them."

"He doesn't like carrots," Charlie whispered. "He's glad if you eat them. Mum won't nag him about eating more vegetables then."

"Who doesn't like carrots?" the witch wondered, before picking another one off of Bill's plate. If he offered, she sure wasn't going to complain.

Pretending to reach over the table to grab the pot of stew, Charlie told Cassiopeia: "I think Mum's already planning the wedding after that display. You should have seen her face when Bill offered you his carrots."

"Now you just have to make sure you're unavailable for any conversation about weddings and children," Ginny whispered from Charlie's other side. "Then Bill will have to suffer through all of Mum's fussing - and the rest of us can have a quiet evening."

Cassiopeia gave the young witch an inquisitive look: "Are you sure the Sorting Hat placed you in the correct house? That is a terrible Slytherin plan of you!"

"Then you should approve of it," Ginny grinned and Cassiopeia couldn't really argue with that. "Bill said you were Chaser at Hogwarts? Would you mind flying with me after dinner? - We could take Charlie with us, as well," the redheaded girl added, as an afterthought.

"I would hope so!" Charlie said. "You still owe me a race, Peia. I won the Quidditch Cup in my last year. It's been four years since then."

"Ah, yes, I remember saying something about a race," the witch said in an offhanded manner. In truth, she could remember the promise in detail. She had given it after her graduation ceremony, wanting Charlie to have a reason to give his best during games, even if there was no more competition between them.

She had meant to keep it right after he finished school, but she had been in training camp in South America. When she had finally returned to England, Charlie had already left for Romania.

"You think you can beat _me_?" Cassiopeia taunted the Dragon Tamer.

"Don't cry, when you lose," he shot back.

"Aww, the last roar of the mighty lion, before his fall," she jested back. The teasing was part of their ritual. They had done so before every game they played against each other and whenever they flew together.

"Charlie, be nice to her!" his mother ordered.

 _That is what she calls not being nice?_ Cassiopeia wondered. Apparently, the Weasley matriarch had forgotten who she was.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley. It will be a long, long time, before Charlie can best his teacher, when it comes to playing with words. After all, I had my family and all of Slytherin house to practice with," she said with a smirk.

"Yes, I was a perfectly good boy, before you corrupted me," Charlie interjected.

Cassiopeia stared at him, incredulously. "Have you forgotten how we met? I distinctively remember finding a fourth year lion outside, after curfew, during one of my first patrols as prefect."

"As I said, I was the perfect Gryffindor."

 

 

After fleeing as stealthily as possible to the broom shed, once everybody had finished their meal, Ginny, Charlie and Cassiopeia took off for a short flight. They did not have much daylight left, so they decided to use it good. Cassiopeia, though having her Nimbus 2001 with her, agreed to take one of the Weasleys' Cleansweeps, so the race would be fair.

They had Ginny play referee and Charlie won the race by a mere inch. While Charlie swooped through the air, Cassiopeia flew over to the girl, shaking her head at her friends behavior.

"Do you play Quidditch, as well?" she asked Ginny, constantly keeping an eye on Charlie and his antics.

"I play but I am not on the team. Fred and George are, though. They are both beaters."

Cassiopeia studied the girl on the broom for a moment. "Why don't you try out for the team, this year? You'll be a fourth-year, right? I started playing in my forth year."

"I don't know, the position of the keeper is still open..."

"I don't think, that is the right position for you to play. You are too small to cover all three of the hoops. Chaser or seeker would fit you better, I think."

Ginny snorted. "Gryffindor will not want for a seeker, as long as Harry Potter plays for the team. He' even better than Charlie."

Said wizard slowed down his broom and hovered next to the girls. "Hey, Peia!"

"What's it this time, Charlie?"

"Want to show us some of your stunts?" the wizard asked and Cassiopeia sighed. She honestly should have expected that.

"What stunts?" a curious Ginny asked.

"You can't tell me the school has already forgotten about Peia's victory stunts!" Charlie exclaimed, shocked. "They were famous!"

He started to explain about the stunts to his sister animatedly.

During the holidays between her fourth and fifth year, Cassiopeia had spent almost every free minute in the garden, to get away from her mother. Her father had passed away earlier that year, so there was no buffer between mother and daughter anymore. Since she didn't have anything better to do, she had started trying out different ways to fly a broom and later some stunts. Whenever Slytherin won a game, she had done a couple of them, to celebrate the victory. Especially the crazy stunts she had done, after they won the Quidditch Cup in her sixth year, had found many admirers.

"Will you show me? Please?" Ginny begged, giving the older witch her best puppy dog eyes. Charlie, noticing Cassiopeia's weakening resolve, joined her.

The Hit Witch laughed at their antics. "Fine, under two, no three conditions. First, everybody stays on the ground while do them. Second, you all promise me to never try such stunts without supervision and third, you have to convince your mother."

Giving each other a look, the siblings speed off towards the rest of their family, Cassiopeia following at a more sedate pace. It gave her the time to think about what stunts she could show on the broom. She had not practiced in years, so the more dangerous ones, that required perfect control over both body and broom were out of question. There was no need to break her neck.

When she arrived on the ground again, Molly Weasley was being assaulted by her children, begging her to let them see the stunts.

"That is far too dangerous! The things that could happen if she fell off..." the Weasley matriarch said.

"There are more than enough people here, capable of using magic to save her, should anything happen," Charlie tried to calm his mother.

"But I don't..."

"Mrs. Weasley, I have done these stunts before. I know when to stop. Besides, as I told Charlie and Ginny, I will only do them, if everybody promises not to try them on their own."

"Just Molly, dear. Are you sure about this. I know how my children can be. If you don't want to..."

Cassiopeia shook her head, laughing. "I'm no Gryffindor, don't worry about me. I do value my life, believe it or not. Charlie, hold the broom. I'm going to use my own, since I'm more familiar with that."

A minute later, Cassiopeia was speeding through the air, flying high, before spiraling down. Just before she would have hit the ground, she leveled it again, causing it to spin around. Laughing at the exhilarating speed, she let it continue for a moment, before stopping it. Deciding to do a more dangerous stunt than she had first planned on, she paused in the air for moment, turning her broom so she faced the Weasleys and speed up again. Making sure her grip on the broomstick was steady and in the middle, she lifted her body off the broom, doing a handstand.

She could hear Charlie whoop on the ground. Instead of sitting back down, she brought her feet on the broomstick and let go with her hands. Shortly in front of the Weasley family, she jumped off, landing in a curtsey and catching the broom with her wand hand. Her left hand shot to her hip, pressing on the curse wound, when a sudden pain flared through it.

"That was amazing, can you do that again?" Ron asked, the twins nodding enthusiastically at his side.

"Can you do other stunts as well?" Ginny questioned her.

"You dismounted the same way when you won the Quidditch Cup. You just left out some of the stuff in the middle," Charlie noted.

Bill, behaving like the gentleman his mother wanted him to be, went over to her and took the broom from her hand. Pretending to give her a kiss on the cheek, he asked: "Is everything alright? You are clutching your side. Did you hurt yourself?"

"It's just the wound I told you about. It's acting up again. Nothing to worry about," the witch hissed through clenched teeth, waiting for the pain to ebb off.

"Will you manage to walk to the living room?"

Cassiopeia wasn't so sure about that. Until now, the wound had only hurt while she was at home or at her desk at the Ministry. She never had to move there.

"I can try," she finally decided.

Bill turned back to his family. "I think that was enough stunts for one day. Let's go inside. I don't think my heart can stand watching another one of those crazy acrobatics today. There is barely light left, anyway."

His siblings made disappointed faces but complied. Only Percy decided it was time for him to go home, since he had much work to do at the Ministry.

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my mother tongue, so please excuse any errors.


End file.
